Idiom
desk jockey
Meaning
One who spends their time seated at a desk; especially one who is more concerned with procedure, paperwork, or administration than with an ultimate goal or a practical consequence.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He is just a desk jockey who loves his paperwork.”
“You look like a typical desk jockey in that office chair.”
“After years of working in the field, he became a desk jockey who only cares about company policies.”
“My brother used to be a professional athlete, but now he is a desk jockey who spends eight hours a day answering emails and managing spreadsheets.”
“The veteran engineer grew frustrated with the desk jockey in the office who prioritized filing reports over solving the actual mechanical failure.”
Examples
simple
“He is just a desk jockey who loves his paperwork.”
“You look like a typical desk jockey in that office chair.”
contextual
“After years of working in the field, he became a desk jockey who only cares about company policies.”
“My brother used to be a professional athlete, but now he is a desk jockey who spends eight hours a day answering emails and managing spreadsheets.”
complex
“The veteran engineer grew frustrated with the desk jockey in the office who prioritized filing reports over solving the actual mechanical failure.”
Origin
Formed as a blend of desk and disc jockey, the term first appears in the mid-20th century to designate a worker whose professional life is confined to the sedentary environment of an office. The construction draws a parallel between the physical stationary nature of a radio announcer and that of a clerk, with the jockey component suggesting one who manages or operates the equipment of the desk.
Key words
Related idioms
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