Etymology

hewers of wood and drawers of water

Today it means: Those who drudge, or are made to work hard; those who do menial or servile work at the behest of others; physical labourers. Full definition →

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The story

A biblical term, first mentioned in Joshua 9:21 (but compare Deuteronomy 29:10).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.