desk officer
1
4.2
- noun
- /dɛsk ˈɔfɪsər/
:
oficial de escritorio
- As a desk officer, she handles all the paperwork and administrative tasks for her team.
- Department desk officer
- country desk officer
- former desk officer
Examples
-
Another country desk officer was more direct about her disappointment with how FMS reinvention was being promoted: "We've heard this all before."
Academic text (2001) -
A Ukrainian, a Ukraine desk officer at the State Department forwards Joe Biden's talking points for meetings with his upcoming meetings with Ukrainian leaders.
-
Mark Gibson, China desk officer.
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It became clear that some Mexico desk officers in Washington, as well as their larger international departments, had no idea what their own agency representatives were doing in Mexico or what specific policies they were carrying out.
Academic text (2000) -
Security assistance officers, program managers (acquisition and technology agents), and project managers (security assistance managers and desk officers) all demanded strategic guidance.
Academic text (2001) -
That is not to say that there are no program managers, contracting officers, security assistance officers, or country desk officers leaning forward in the trenches.
Academic text (2001) -
The receptionist told the desk officer why I was there, and he greeted me with his arms across his chest, didn't say a word, and looked at me like I was the criminal.
Blog text (14) -
It is interesting to note the comments of the Palestine desk officer in the State Department, Evan Wilson, about the Palestinians' view of Ibn Saud.
Academic text (2004) -
DESK OFFICER:
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DESK OFFICER:
Synonyms
3
6.1
A person in the military who helps a commander plan and manage operations
Antonyms
- Specialized
2
4.6
A person in the army with the rank of major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel
How Operational
Surface Forms
Morphology
desk + officer
The meaning 'an officer who performs administrative duties' is directly and transparently derivable from 'desk' (a workstation/administrative place) + 'officer' (a military or police person). This is a regular compositional pattern (X officer = officer associated with X) and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Desk officer comes from the simple image of an officer sitting at a desk doing papers instead of working in the field. So, it means 'an officer who does office work rather than working in the field'.