desk jockey

American  

noun

Informal.

1. an office worker who sits at a desk, often as contrasted with someone who does more important or active work.

   desk jockeys at the CIA.

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Etymology

Origin of desk jockey

First recorded in 1950–55; modeled on disk jockey

Example Sentences

Daniel Pearce makes of Polonius a hilariously pedantic desk jockey and bad idea bear.

From New York Times

He figured this would be his career path: a white-collar desk jockey trying to help companies squeeze profits from the system.

From Washington Post

Seth is a by-the-book desk jockey; Bud ignores the rules when they interfere with undead evisceration.

From Los Angeles Times

A dorky desk jockey, Seth is the familiar foil for the hero’s one-liners, but Franco plays him with a sweetness that keeps his fussiness from grating.

From New York Times

It does not present Winner as a lefty firebrand or a noble whistle-blower but as a maddeningly squirmy, fed-up desk jockey.

From New York Times