# Archaic (Derogatory?) Names For Professions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 29, 2009, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327 "2009-06-29T08:23:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/1 "2009-06-29T08:23:24Z")
1. “Disc Jockey” 2. “Grease Monkey” 3. “Soda Jerk” And one not so old: 1. “Bean Counter” Can y’all think of any more? Yup. I’m bored.😉 It’s 4:30 in the morning, and I can’t effin’ sleep! Quasi ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/2 "2009-06-29T09:20:43Z")
Secretary is getting there, being replaced with personal or executive assistant. janitors = custodians or custodial engineers. Many actresses want to be called actors now. Same for Policemen, Firemen, Postmen, etc. Garbage Collector = Sanitation Engineer That’s all I can think of right now. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/3 "2009-06-29T09:28:50Z")
Gal Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/4 "2009-06-29T11:11:15Z")
\*\*Honey dipper \*\*- the guy who cleans your septic tank. I have no idea why “honey dipper”, maybe it sounds better than “shit shoveler”? No doubt related to such terms as honey wagon and honey bucket, which also deal with human waste. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/5 "2009-06-29T11:45:29Z")
“Sawbones” – Surgeon, or possibly any physician. It hearkens back to the era when surgeons were lower-class manual laborers and physicians were upper-class professionals. “Leech” – Physician. “Leech, heal thyself.” – Wycliffe (Luke, iv. 23) Physicians still use leeches, but now they understand when _not_ to. That’s called progress. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/6 "2009-06-29T14:04:10Z")
Ambulance chaser? The guys at the City used to call me the Ditch Witch. I don’t think that’s common though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/7 "2009-06-29T14:13:23Z")
hm dog robber for someone in the military good at getting supplies [in or out of system] ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/8 "2009-06-29T14:15:32Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > 1. “Disc Jockey” Really? I hear the ones on the radio refer to themselves as such all the time. Many years ago, I asked a question on the board to “all the resident greasemonkeys” and was quickly correctly. I felt pretty bad - it is a pretty insulting/degrading term when you think about it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/9 "2009-06-29T14:52:14Z")
Pencil Pusher. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/10 "2009-06-29T14:58:22Z")
Very few people describe their occupation as “computer” or “typewriter” any more. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/11 "2009-06-29T15:13:03Z")
One of our professors here referred to an anesthesiologist as a “gas passer.” ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/12 "2009-06-29T15:15:04Z")
“Code monkey” – A derogatory term for an unskilled programmer who isn’t competent to design software, merely to implement the designs of others. A code monkey only knows one language, one development environment, and one OS, and would be deeply traumatized by any change. Sadly, this isn’t old-fashioned in any way. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/13 "2009-06-30T01:14:59Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > Ambulance chaser? > > The guys at the City used to call me the Ditch Witch. I don’t think that’s common though. > 🙂 did you own one ([www.ditchwitch.com](http://www.ditchwitch.com)) or just spend a lot of time designing drainage systems? Either way, I am sure it was a compliment. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/14 "2009-06-30T01:29:18Z")
_Head Shrinker_ (later shortened to _shrink_) for psychiatrist \*Hack \*for a writer who works for others (originally a coachman for hire) _Jackleg_ for an ‘amateur’ mechanic ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/15 "2009-06-30T01:29:32Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Really? I hear the ones on the radio refer to themselves as such all the time. > > Many years ago, I asked a question on the board to “all the resident greasemonkeys” and was quickly correctly. I felt pretty bad - it is a pretty insulting/degrading term when you think about it. 🙂 Well, I was thinking that the word (acronym?) “Deejay” is now more accepted than “disc jockey”. I used to be one, and during a father-son dinner, my son (who had to stand up and do a short bio on me), called me that, and even though it was in the early 80’s, I think I would have preferred “radio announcer”. He also stumbled over the word “anarchist”, which got quite a laugh from our priest at the time. :eek: Quasi ---
**Author:** ![dubs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dubs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dubs)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/16 "2009-06-30T01:33:13Z")
Not derogatory I don’t think but definitely archaic: aviatrix authoress stewardess ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/17 "2009-06-30T01:42:14Z")
“Housewife”? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/18 "2009-06-30T01:42:52Z")
> [@dubs](#): > > Not derogatory I don’t think but definitely archaic: > > aviatrix > > authoress > > stewardess I’ve been known to refer to myself as an editrix. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/19 "2009-06-30T02:57:56Z")
Scribbler : An author who produces nothing of worth. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327/20 "2009-06-30T03:32:59Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > did you own one ([www.ditchwitch.com](http://www.ditchwitch.com)) or just spend a lot of time designing drainage systems? Either way, I am sure it was a compliment. 🙂 It was, the highest of compliments. I was at that time the drainage engineer for the City, so was in charge of all aspects of drainage projects (and did end up designing one) including inspection of ongoing projects and maintenance. They liked the fact that I didn’t mind climbing down in the ditch and getting dirty right along with them. A couple of them even got me a button down “ditch witch” shirt, ball cap, and license plate for my truck. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-derogatory-names-for-professions/501327.md?page=2)