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Synonyms

dogsbody

American  
[dawgz-bod-ee, dogz-] / ˈdɔgzˌbɒd i, ˈdɒgz- /

noun

Chiefly British Slang.
  • dogsbodies
    plural
  1. a menial worker; drudge.


dogsbody British  
/ ˈdɒɡzˌbɒdɪ /

noun

  1. informal a person who carries out menial tasks for others; drudge

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to act as a dogsbody

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of dogsbody

First recorded in 1810–20; originally a junior naval officer, earlier a sailor's term for soaked sea biscuits or pease pudding


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Aiding everyone is Lisa Kwak as The Mute, a sort of onstage stagehand and dogsbody who distributes props as needed, moves set pieces and generally keeps the show moving.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2024

Shelley is forbearance personified but she’s tired of being taken by Mira “for a dogsbody, a beta fish, a bridesmaid, a ride-along.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2023

In pursuit of her, he enlists as a dogsbody on the Ibn Battuta, a ferry between Tangier and Algeciras.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 19, 2018

Ali-Reza, on the other hand, did not conceal his unhappiness at being a dogsbody.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2015

Manchester City's match programme delivered a temptation impossible for fate to resist when it described Luis Suarez as "the dogsbody in this trio of artful dodgers" in comparison to Barcelona superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2015

It could become a palace of unelected hacks and dogsbodies, unlikely to provide independent and considered advice.

From Time Magazine Archive

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