dogsbody

== English == === Etymology === From dog +‎ -s- +‎ body. 1818, British navy slang (dog's body), originally derogatory reference to unappetizing pease pudding (compare dog's breakfast), as if it were made of mashed dog meat. In 20th century applied to low-ranked sailors, thence menial servants in wider usage. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɒɡz.bɒ.dɪ/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈdɔɡz.bɑ.di/, /ˈdɑɡz.bɑ.di/ === Noun === dogsbody (plural dogsbodies) (UK, Ireland) A person who does menial work, a servant. Synonyms: batman, grunt, factotum, gofer, handyman, jack of all trades, odd job, workhorse Alternative form of dog's body (“pease pudding”) ==== Translations ==== === Verb === dogsbody (third-person singular simple present dogsbodies, present participle dogsbodying, simple past and past participle dogsbodied) To act as a dogsbody, to do menial work: === References === “dogsbody”, A.Word.A.Day, Anu Garg, Wordsmith.org Evan Morris (1997), “And, of course, the poloponies”, in Word Detective‎[1], archived from the original on 21 December 2024 “dogsbody n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present.