working stiff
English
WOTD – 6 September 2021
Etymology
From working + stiff (“average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education”).[1]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌwɜːkɪŋ ˈstɪf/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˌwɝkɪŋ ˈstɪf/
- Rhymes: -ɪf
- Hyphenation: work‧ing stiff
Noun
working stiff (plural working stiffs)
- (originally US, informal) An ordinary person who works in a non-management position, especially one who works for wages rather than a salary.
- 2018 November 14, Jesse Hassenger, “Disney Goes Viral with an Ambitious, Overstuffed Wreck-It Ralph Sequel”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 21 November 2019:
- Now he spends his time off from work hanging out with his diminutive best friend Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), the casual-dress princess hero of racing game Sugar Rush. Ralph enjoys life as a working stiff, though Vanellope is growing bored with her racing-world domination.
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Translations
ordinary person who works in a non-management position
References
- “working stiff, n.” under “stiff, adj., n., and adv.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1916.