paper pusher

paper pusher

1. Someone whose work is primarily to do with filing, filling in, or reviewing paperwork; a bureaucrat. Sometimes hyphenated. I just got sick of being a paper pusher, so I quit my job and moved to Thailand to surf and teach English. I know being married to a paper pusher can't be terribly exciting, but at least she's got a stable, well-paying job, right?
2. A bureaucrat, especially one who adheres inflexibly to the details of the bureaucracy or administrative procedure. Sometimes hyphenated. He's just a paper pusher—he can't get anything changed about the way the government collects your taxes. Ugh. I've got some paper-pusher looking over my case at the moment, and she's being so anal about over little detail!
3. dated One who writes bad or dishonored checks, especially out of habit or as a criminal profession. Sometimes hyphenated. Apparently there's been a paper pusher passing through the state, depositing bad checks on Fridays and then skipping town before the banks are open on Monday. He was a paper-pusher for a while back in college. Nothing too serious, mostly just did it to pay for groceries or school supplies when he was low on cash.
See also: paper, pusher
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

paper-pusher

1. n. a bureaucrat; a clerk in the military services; any office worker. (see also pencil-pusher.) If those paper-pushers can’t get their work done on time, make them stay late.
2. n. someone who passes bad checks. (see also paper, paper-hanger.) The bank teller spotted a well-known paper-pusher and called the cops.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • in demand
  • flat chat
  • flat strap
  • cop on
  • makeout artist
  • make-out artist
  • bleeding edge
  • muckety muck
  • crater
  • crater-face
References in periodicals archive
"Here, take this report and sign it yourself - you have simply gotten a paper pusher to sign on it and submitted it," he told the attorney general.
SC takes defence secy to task over DHA's allotment of state land to private entities in Karachi
But it's the earnestness with which Varg's equally eccentric team--made up of paper pusher Carl Holgersson, fly-fishing fanatic Erik Nykvist and Anna Bengsdotter, a married colleague who's caught Varg's eye--seeks to solve the un-solvable that keeps the laughs rolling.
Lighten up! No one dies in this one! The somber, serious Scandinavian noir craze gets a much-needed kick in the funny bone with The Department of Sensitive Crimes, another laugh-out-loud series premiere from confirmed smart alec Alexander McCall Smith
Mansoor Malik, head of business development MENA, CIPS, added that over the last decade, the institute has seen a transformation [of the job] from being a paper pusher function or a compliance function to one that is performing and at the leading end of the organisation.
Event Review: Procurement Summit 2015
He said he does not think the city should be adding "just another paper pusher position'' to the Division of Public Health at a time when the city is looking at funding shortfalls for public safety, educational and public services.
No grant for program to help tenants move out
S/he has other perks not unlike those of business executives, although for most of the year, s/he might have been no more than a paper pusher.
Development for whom?
"Zor: Philosophy, Spirituality, and Science" is a unique novel that follows a conversation between paper pusher Jonathan Brewster and the Haitian dwarf Zor.
Buhle's Bookshelf
However, with rising caseloads and mountains of paperwork, she began to feel more like a paper pusher than a social worker.
Imaging and document management
He told Chris Davies (ALDE, UK) that he would not be a mere paper pusher. "My legal role is to enforce [the rules].
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HEARINGS : POTOCNIK PROMISES TO BRING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES IN FROM THE COLD
Navy are sometimes referred to with such terms of endearment as "staff puke," "desk jockey" or "paper pusher."
A world of opportunities: Everett Sailor advanced for life-saving efforts in Afghanistan individual augmentee
PAPER PUSHER The Recycled Curved Vase is made from an old plastic water bottle and strips of colorful newspaper remnants.
Readers' big ideas: these innovators lead the pack with their fresh ways of thinking. Turn the page to get inspired
Sex: Even a lowly paper pusher can grab the eye of a high-level lady at work.
Give'em something to talk about
They always ask, "What are we going to blend in with?" I don't really care about all that because I'm a desk jockey--a professional paper pusher. I'm [dang] proud of it too!
Uniform opinions
"I want to spend time in a studio, and not just be a fund-raising paper pusher."
A star moves on. (News)
Porter made frequent references to the Ford presidency, during which he had served as a paper pusher, as if that were the model that the present administration should emulate.
Beaten and Bushed
Even though she proves more than adept at both physical combat techniques and mental manipulation of her own "recruits" --the kind of stuff that only the best spies are capable of--Marie is consigned to being a paper pusher for much of her career in the FBI.
American Spy