the.com/underling
Someone low enough on the ladder to catch blame falling from above.
means A person who ranks below someone else in authority, especially one who takes orders rather than gives them.
from Built from 'under' plus the diminutive suffix '-ling' (the same ending found in 'duckling' or 'weakling'), the word has meant 'inferior person' since Old English — a small, slightly contemptuous suffix doing exactly what it sounds like: shrinking the person it's attached to.
- origin
- double diminutive suffix, literally under plus ling
- tone
- always said by someone above them
- usage
- rarely used in job descriptions or resumes
- synonym drift
- minion with a desk and no power