chair warmer

American  

noun

Informal.

1. an officeholder, employee, or the like, who accomplishes little, especially a person who holds an interim position.

2. a person who lounges for long periods sitting in a chair, as in a hotel lobby or clubroom.

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Etymology

Origin of chair warmer

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

You are a chair warmer in some office, while your ambition led you to seek professional honors—coffee house!

From All About Coffee by Ukers, William H. (William Harrison)

But for Cyril, I suppose the Major would have remained a chair warmer indefinitely.

From Fore! by Loan, Charles Emmett Van