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Discussion Groups / English Usage / April 2010Origin of "Jobsworth"
I'm curious how this English English term came to be - "jobsworth". It means an uncooperative or bureaucractic worker. PsS -------------------------------------------------------------------- A fictional account of how to drastically reform the financial world... More at http://PinstripeSniper.blogspot.com and if that gets banned, check www.PinstripeSniper.com >I'm curious how this English English term came to be - "jobsworth". > >It means an uncooperative or bureaucractic worker. It comes from an employee sticking strictly to the rules and policies of the employer and not being reasoanbly flexible. He or she says "It's more than my job's worth to...".  SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >> I'm curious how this English English term came to be - "jobsworth". >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > the employer and not being reasoanbly flexible. He or she says "It's > more than my job's worth to...". I first heard it on "That's Life", a BBC TV consumer programme in the 1980s. They illustrated the "jobsworth" slot with a peaked cap, as worn by a commissionaire or security guard. OED shows one earlier reference: 1970 Melody Maker 12 Sept. 29/4 If you are a taxi-driver, jobsworth or policeman, you will now be able to understand hippie lingo. 1982 Times 2 Oct. 19/1 That's Life. Consumer programme which includes the first contenders for the Jobsworth Award, given to the person who enforces the most stupid rule. SignatureDavid >>> I'm curious how this English English term came to be - "jobsworth". >>> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > the first contenders for the Jobsworth Award, given to the person who > enforces the most stupid rule. Wiki says that Jeremy Taylor wrote his song in the late 1960s. SignatureJames > I first heard it on "That's Life", a BBC TV consumer programme in the > 1980s. Oh, how I miss those dogs that say "sausages" and the potato-genitals. SignaturePablo >> I first heard it on "That's Life", a BBC TV consumer programme in the >> 1980s. > > Oh, how I miss those dogs that say "sausages" and the potato-genitals. If you were not being Furrin, you could move to Luton and vote for that Esther Rantzen. SignatureDavid >>> I first heard it on "That's Life", a BBC TV consumer programme in the >>> 1980s. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > If you were not being Furrin, you could move to Luton and vote for that > Esther Rantzen. I remembered the song, but hadn't realised it pre-dated the Esther Rantzen usage. This is a fair summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobsworth Regards Jonathan >I'm curious how this English English term came to be - "jobsworth". > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >More at http://PinstripeSniper.blogspot.com and if that gets banned, check >www.PinstripeSniper.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz44_Sp0K8A&feature=player_embedded#! Cheers - Ian (BrE: Yorks., Hants.) >>I'm curious how this English English term came to be - "jobsworth". >> >>It means an uncooperative or bureaucractic worker. I may have arrived in this thread a bit late, so my apologies if I'm repeating anything here. I seem to recall that it originated in a consumer-oriented TV show called "That's Life" in the 1970s, hosted by Esther Rantzen. They cited various instances where some officious person (usually a worker at a local authority) refused to do something out-of-the-ordinary because he was frightened of being sacked/fired, often saying "it's more than my job's worth". They soon created a "Jobsworth Award" for the most ridiculous examples. SignatureAndy Clews University of Sussex *** Remove DENTURES if replying by email *** > >>I'm curious how this English English term came to be - "jobsworth". > >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > being sacked/fired, often saying "it's more than my job's worth". They soon > created a "Jobsworth Award" for the most ridiculous examples. Focus has been on the single word "jobsworth" but nobody has given the history of the source phrase "more than my job's worth". Google Books has 3 hits for "my job's worth" before 1910 and ten more up to 1920. The two most relevant early ones: Land ho! - Page 73 Morgan Robertson - Fiction - 1905 - 321 pages But it's all my job's worth if he finds it out." In darkness and silence Scotty spent the next three hours seated on a coal pile far down below the deck. ... [Wikipedia: Morgan Andrew Robertson (September 30, 1861 - March 24, 1915) was a well-known American author of short stories and novels...] To the front: a sequel to Cadet days - Page 125 Charles King - 1908 - 260 pages "You know perfectly no Time Freight on this road takes a passenger of any kind, and it would be more'n my job's worth to take you!" "Then, in God's name, ... SignatureBest -- Donna Richoux Thus spake A.Clews@denturessussex.ac.uk (A.Clews@denturessussex.ac.uk) unto the assembled multitudes: > I seem to recall that it originated in a consumer-oriented TV show called > "That's Life" in the 1970s, hosted by Esther Rantzen. They cited various > instances where some officious person (usually a worker at a local authority) > refused to do something out-of-the-ordinary because he was frightened of > being sacked/fired, often saying "it's more than my job's worth". They soon > created a "Jobsworth Award" for the most ridiculous examples. That of course was back in the 1970s/1980s. What with the obsession with Health & Safety and political correctness these days, the Jobsworth Awards would be absolutely flying off the shelves were they still being awarded. SignatureAndy Clews University of Sussex *** Remove DENTURES if replying by email *** > Thus spake Ian Noble (ipnoble@offspam.o2.co.uk) unto the assembled > multitudes: [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > more than my job's worth". They soon created a "Jobsworth Award" for > the most ridiculous examples. Jeremy Taylor has kindly informed me by email that he wrote the song in the late sixties after touring with a small band in which they started referring to the various "jobsworths" they encountered. The word was coined in the band and Jeremy wrote the song about it. Esther Rantzen got to hear of it and Jeremy did a video recording of the song for the first episode of her programme. SignatureJames >> Thus spake Ian Noble (ipnoble@offspam.o2.co.uk) unto the assembled >> multitudes: [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Esther Rantzen got to hear of it and Jeremy did a video recording of > the song for the first episode of her programme. PS After Jeremy had returned to South Africa in the eighties Spike wrote to congratulate him because "jobsworth" was now in the dictionary. SignatureJames >>> Thus spake Ian Noble (ipnoble@offspam.o2.co.uk) unto the assembled >>> multitudes: [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >After Jeremy had returned to South Africa in the eighties Spike wrote to >congratulate him because "jobsworth" was now in the dictionary. Interesting. Thank you. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>> Thus spake Ian Noble (ipnoble@offspam.o2.co.uk) unto the assembled >>> multitudes: [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >After Jeremy had returned to South Africa in the eighties Spike wrote to >congratulate him because "jobsworth" was now in the dictionary. Putting together the information from Jeremy Taylor, the OED and Wikip it seems that: 1. the Beatles used "it's more than my job's worth" in the 1965 movie Help!. 2. Jeremy Taylor coined "Jobsworth". He used it in the song of that name in the late 1960s. The word is spoken by the officious official in the phrase "Jobsworth, Jobsworth, It's more than me job's worth". "Jobsworth" is used as shorthand for "It's more than me job's worth". 3. "1970 Melody Maker 12 Sept. 29/4 If you are a taxi-driver, jobsworth or policeman, you will now be able to understand hippie lingo. 4. It was used in the TV show "That's Life" in the 1970s to mean an officious official. What I'm not clear about is whether Jeremy Taylor intended Jobsworth to be a nickname for an officious official. Perhaps that followed soon after the song was first sung. The song is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz44_Sp0K8A At no point does it appear to dub the individual a jobsworth. The Melody Maker magazine quote is the first clearcut use of jobsworth as a noun. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>>> Thus spake Ian Noble (ipnoble@offspam.o2.co.uk) unto the assembled >>>> multitudes: [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > be a nickname for an officious official. Perhaps that followed soon > after the song was first sung. Jeremy's mail makes it clear that the boys in the band used the word as a jocular name for these officious officials. That was what prompted Jeremy to write the song. SignatureJames >>>>> Thus spake Ian Noble (ipnoble@offspam.o2.co.uk) unto the assembled >>>>> multitudes: [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] >a jocular name for these officious officials. That was what prompted >Jeremy to write the song. Ah. Thank you. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) |
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