dogsbody
/ˈdɔɡz.bɑ.di/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.37 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Alternative form of dog's body (“pease pudding”)
Example Sentences
- "Who chose this face for me? This dogsbody to rid of vermin."
- "'Cause I, I wanna be anarchy! / No dogsbody!"
- "That's just Baldrick, my dogsbody."
- "Furthermore, there are still rather backward opinions in our society about the role of a translator. A translator is often regarded as a linguistic dogsbody."
- "Perhaps because, having been brought up in all those different countries and languages, and then studying economics of all things for just a year, followed by four years dogsbodying for a haulage company, he had never got any serious reading done."
Etymology
From dog + -s- + body. 1818, British navy slang (dog's body), originally derogatory reference to unappetizing pease pudding (compare dog's breakfast), as if it were made of mashed dog meat. In 20th century applied to low-ranked sailors, thence menial servants in wider usage.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈdɔɡz.bɑ.di/
- British English: /ˈdɒɡz.bɒ.dɪ/
Usage
- British usage