chief cook and bottlewasher

chief cook and bottle washer

One who is involved in many aspects of a particular situation. Because so many people have left our department recently, I'm the chief cook and bottle washer, doing every little task that comes up.
See also: and, bottle, chief, cook, washer
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

chief cook and bottlewasher

A person in charge of numerous duties, both vital and trivial, as in We have no secretaries or clerks; the department head is chief cook and bottlewasher and does it all . [Slang; c. 1840]
See also: and, bottlewasher, chief, cook
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • bottlewasher
  • chief cook and bottle washer
  • chief cook and bottle-washer
  • head cook and bottle washer
  • be the chief cook and bottle washer
  • cook
  • crack a bottle
  • on the bottle
  • stubbie
  • stubby
References in periodicals archive
I'm basically chief cook and bottlewasher, and do what I'm told.
"Peter wants to be chief cook and bottlewasher. He takes risks but they won't always pay off."