office boy

Workplace errand runner

An office boy is a young male employee who performs basic tasks in an office—running errands, delivering messages, fetching coffee, making copies.

The term dates from an era when such positions were entry-level jobs for teenagers, often leading to advancement.

Now largely replaced by gender-neutral terms like office assistant, though the old term persists in some contexts: He started as an office boy and worked his way up to vice president.

role

messenger

One who delivers communications

attendant · helper · runner · gofer · gopher · page · factotum · dogsbody · lackey · flunky

career

junior

Lower in standing

entry-level · beginner · starter · recruit · novice · greenhorn · newbie · fledgling · probationer · cadet

tasks

errands

Brief purposeful outings

filing · photocopying · fetching · sorting · mailroom · parcels · packages · pickup · drop-off · copying

Categories
Opposites
organizational hierarchy

office boyexecutive

Senior organizational leader

CEO · boss · chairman · chief executive · managing director

age/experience

office boyold hand

Experienced person

old-timer

gender

office boyoffice girl

Female clerical worker

Family

boy, office, officer, official, offices, unofficial, officially, officialdom, nonofficial

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G