jobsworth

British  

/ ˈdʒɒbzˌwɜːθ /

noun

1. informal a person in a position of minor authority who invokes the letter of the law in order to avoid any action requiring initiative, cooperation, etc

---

Etymology

Origin of jobsworth

C20: from it's more than my job's worth to …

Example Sentences

"He's obsessed with his job. He does do it well, but he's a little bit of a jobsworth as well."

From BBC

It would have been a VAR penalty in every sense, a jobsworth’s fantasy.

From The Guardian

I was going to hike up to their cabin and it would be pot-luck whether they’d be an enthusiast and welcome me in or a grizzly jobsworth who’d tell me to get stuffed.

From The Guardian

"I know it sounds jobsworth. But he can get on with his training while we will pursue all avenues to piece together the evidence."

From BBC

The mutual eye-roll on a delayed train or the group tut at jobsworth security guards.

From The Guardian