jobsworth

Meaning

Noun

• A minor official or worker who refuses to be flexible in the application of rules to help a client or customer.

Origin

• From job + -s-, from the phrase “It’s more than my job’s worth [to do something]”, popularized by:
• the song “Jobsworth” (composed late 1960s; published 1973) by the South-Africa-based English singer-songwriter Jeremy Taylor (born 1937); and
• the BBC television series That’s Life! (broadcast 1973–1994) which focused on consumer affairs