gofer
/ˈɡəʊfə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡəʊfər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgō-fər/ (ame, mw)
gofer — noun
- gofersingular
- gofersplural
1. a low-ranking worker hired mainly to fetch coffee, deliver messages, or run smal
a low-ranking worker hired mainly to fetch coffee, deliver messages, or run small practical jobs that nobody else has time for, often in an office, on a film shoot, or in a busy kitchen.
Heloísa started at the production company as a gofer, fetching coffee and chasing scripts around set.
typical workplace context: film/TV production
The trainee lawyers complained that they were treated as gofers for the senior partners.
passive frame: be treated as a gofer for [someone]
Asher spent his first summer at the newspaper as a gofer, mostly buying sandwiches for the editors.
Every busy kitchen needs a gofer to run between the chef, the storeroom, and the back door.
Kenji refused to be the office gofer any longer and asked his manager for real project work.
- errand boy
older, gendered; same menial-fetching role
- runner
common in film/TV and kitchens; nearly identical scope
- dogsbody
British informal; broader — covers any unpleasant low-status task, not just fetching
文法句型
a gofer for [person/group]
用法筆記
Subject is typically a junior or newly-hired worker; often used with mild disparagement to mean someone given menial tasks below their training. Frequently appears with 'be treated as a gofer' or 'office/studio/kitchen gofer'.