placeman

9.9

A person who gets a job because of connections rather than skill

noun
/ˈpleɪsˌmæn/

Offensive

: enchufado

Many considered him merely a placeman who owed his position to political connections.

Examples

She argued that government should stop appointing unqualified placemen to important offices.
The reforms were resisted by entrenched placemen throughout the department.
The new placeman was criticized for lacking qualifications.
Many believe that the placeman was chosen for his connections.
Many considered him merely a placeman who owed his position to political connections.
She argued that government should stop appointing unqualified placemen to important offices.
The reforms were resisted by entrenched placemen throughout the department.

Synonyms

placewoman

vsplaceman

Offensive

9.9

A woman put into a job because of connections rather than ability

has identical meaning but denotes the male gender form

Surface Forms

placeman singular

placemen plural

Morphology

placeman = place + man (semi-transparent) = place + man

The compound 'place' + 'man' yields a literal 'man placed (in a post)', but the specific derogatory/patronage sense ('appointed through patronage rather than merit') is a specialized pragmatic meaning not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

The word placeman comes from place ('position' or 'job') and man, so it literally means 'a man in a place'. It is often used in a negative way for someone who gets a job because of connections, not skill.