galley slave

American  

noun

1. a person condemned to work at an oar on a galley.

2. a drudge.

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galley slave British  

noun

1. a criminal or slave condemned to row in a galley

2. informal a drudge

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Etymology

Origin of galley slave

First recorded in 1560–70

Example Sentences

Commentators are also saying that these workers experience higher than average rates of workplace injuries and are treated like "galley slaves."

From Salon

Among all the world’s large creatures, the only survivors of the human flood will be humans themselves, and the farmyard animals that serve as galley slaves in Noah’s Ark.

From Literature

“If you have it loud, too much of the time you have the poor string section treated like galley slaves,” he said.

From New York Times

The evil is industrialized labor itself—an entire existence spent like a galley slave pulling an oar.

From The New Yorker

The galley slaves were freed if they chose to “retire to foreign lands.”

From Washington Times