water-carrying

8.8

Doing small unseen jobs or always defending someone else

noun
/ˈwɔːtərˌkɛrɪŋ/

Offensive

: hacer de recadero

Many interns found themselves doing water-carrying for the senior staff instead of more meaningful projects.

Examples

His role on the team had turned into endless water-carrying for others' ideas.
Many employees feel like they are just water-carrying for their bosses.
Critics accused the spokesperson of mere water-carrying for the company's policies.
His water-carrying for the manager went unnoticed.
Many interns found themselves doing water-carrying for the senior staff instead of more meaningful projects.
His role on the team had turned into endless water-carrying for others' ideas.
Critics accused the spokesperson of mere water-carrying for the company's policies.

Synonyms

fetch-and-carry task

vswater-carrying

Informal

6.6

A simple, boring job doing small errands and chores

includes unquestioning support for a person in a subordinate role rather than only tasks

Surface Forms

water-carrying singular

water-carryings plural

Morphology

water-carrying = water + carry (semi-transparent) = water + carry + ing

Formally 'water' + 'carry' + '-ing' is clear, but the attested sense is a metaphorical extension meaning doing menial or supportive tasks, so learners may not infer the figurative meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Water-carrying comes from the plain picture of a person whose job was to carry water, a simple, low-status task based on the verb carry 'to take and move'. So, to do water-carrying for someone today means doing small, unnoticed jobs or supporting them without question.