THE STORY OF “DOGSBODY ”
Have you ever heard someone say, “He is the office dogsbody”? At first, the word dogsbody may sound as if it has something to do with a dog. Surprisingly, it does not!
WHAT DOES "DOGSBODY” MEAN?
A dogsbody is a person who is given unpleasant, boring, routine or less important tasks, often because they are at the bottom of an organisation or are expected to help others.
For example:
●The new employee was treated like a dogsbody and was asked to do all the routine office jobs.
The word is generally used informally and can sometimes sound disrespectful.
WHERE DID THE WORD COME FROM?
The word dogsbody originated in the British Royal Navy. It was used as a nickname for a simple dish made from dried peas and flour, which sailors considered rather unappetising. Over time, dogsbody became associated with a person who performed the most basic or tiresome jobs.
By the 19th century, the word had developed its modern meaning: a person who does menial or routine work for others.
Interestingly, the word has also been used to describe a junior or low-ranking person who is expected to carry out various small jobs.
DOGSBODY IN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE
The word is mainly used in British English and is usually informal.
For example:
●I spent my first few months as a dogsbody, doing all the little jobs nobody else wanted.
●The assistant felt like a dogsbody because he was constantly asked to run errands.
●Don't treat your junior colleagues like dogsbodies.
IS IT RELATED TO DOGS?
No! Despite its appearance, dogsbody has no connection with the body of a dog. It is an example of how words can develop meanings that are very different from what their individual parts seem to suggest.
AMAZING FACTS
●Dogsbody is an informal British English word.
●It originally had a connection with a simple sailors' food, not an actual dog.
●The word later came to mean a person who performs routine or menial tasks.
●A similar expression is “gofer”, meaning someone who is sent to “go for” things or run errands.
●The plural form is dogsbodies.
DID YOU KNOW?
The word dogsbody is a wonderful example of language evolution. A word that once referred to an unappealing food eventually became a term for a person who was expected to do all the uninteresting jobs!
