push paper

Idioms  

1. Do administrative, often petty, paperwork. For example, She spent the whole day pushing paper for her boss. [Colloquial; second half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

The rest push paper with uninteresting colleagues and over time, you’ll become like them.

From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2021

“What they can do in absence of a quorum is push paper around,” he said.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2019

Says an official of London's Midland Bank: "These days I push paper for the government."

From Time Magazine Archive