Etymology

jobsworth

jobs·worth
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Today it means: A person who upholds trivial rules unnecessarily and obstructively in order to exercise their (typically minor) authority. Full definition →

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The story

A compound of job + -s- + worth, derived from the phrase “It’s more than me job’s worth” or “... my job’s worth” as used in denial of a request by a functionary, chiefly popularized by Jeremy Taylor's 1973 song “Jobsworth” and the 1973–1994 BBC television series That’s Life! which focused on consumer affairs and gave a “Jobsworth of the Week” award to “a startling tale of going by the book”.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.