simon
n. countablen. a person who always follows the rules or does exactly what they are told. It comes from the children's game 'Simon Says'.
n. a person who exhibits excessive or mindless obedience to instructions. Derived from the children's game 'Simon Says', it implies a lack of individual agency or critical thinking.
Don't be such a Simon; you can decide for yourself.
The manager wanted a team of creative thinkers, not a group of Simons who just waited for his next command.
In a corporate culture that prioritises rigid hierarchy over innovation, employees often transform into Simons, executing every directive without questioning its underlying logic or potential for failure.
From Middle English Simon, Symond, Symounde, from Anglo-Norman Simon, Simond, Simund, a conflation of two unrelated names: one from Latin Simon, from Ancient Greek Σίμων (Símōn), from Biblical Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן (šimʿōn, “hearkening”), doublet of Simeon; the other from Old Norse Sigmundr or Old English Siġemund, both from Proto-Germanic *Sigimunduz (literally “Protector of victory”), whence also Sigmund and Siegmund.
Often used as a pejorative label for someone perceived as overly submissive.