| 释义 |
Definition of wood-and-water joey in English: wood-and-water joeynoun Australian, NZ informal 1An unskilled labourer who carries out the menial tasks in a place of work. at fifteen he was working as a wood-and-water joey on a big cattle station Example sentencesExamples - It's not so common nowadays, working your way up from wood-and-water joey to boss.
- He was wood and water joey at some squatter's place.
- Last of all was the wood-and-water joey with his dray.
- The wood-and-water joey fell a victim to his bowie.
- "Sometimes they send the wrong lengths aboard," he says, "and then I have to cut 'em up myself. I'm a fireman," he says, "not a wood-and-water joey."
- 1.1 A servile employee.
I'm not going to be wood-and-water joey, I can tell ye Example sentencesExamples - They were not merely wood-and-water-joeys, they were energetic men.
- There is no doubt that the statesmen took advantage of the inexperience of our representatives and forced upon them an agreement which still leaves Australia in the position of a wood and water joey.
- That principle is going to make of the Australian tradesman nothing else but a wood-and-water joey.
- They expected the minister to be a wood-and-water joey in connection with the work of the church.
Origin Mid 19th century: from an allusion to the biblical phrase 'hewers of wood and drawers of water' (Josh. 9:21) + joey1 (in the sense 'a recent arrival on a goldfield').. |