gopher

gofer

One who completes errands for someone else, typically someone significantly more powerful or important. The word is an alteration of "go for." If you need anything at all, just let me know, and I'll have my gofer get it. I hate that I'm just my boss's gofer—I mean, isn't there something more important I could be doing than running around in search of a very specific pair of black socks? As an intern at the publishing house, I was basically a personal assistant, gofer, proofreader, and warehouse laborer in one.

gopher ball

In baseball, a pitch that the batter hits for a home run. "Gopher" is an alteration of "go for," referring either to the batter "going for" extra bases or home plate, or the ball "going for" a home run. It's 3-2—if he could just hit a gopher ball, he'd tie the game. Look at how happy this kid is—he just hit the first gopher ball of his major league career. Man, I thought for sure that was a gopher ball, but it died at the warning track and was caught by the outfielder.

See also: ball, gopher

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

gopher

and gofer (ˈgofɚ)

1. n. someone who goes for things and brings them back. (From go for.) You got a gopher who can go get some coffee?

2. n. a dupe; a pawn; an underling. The guy’s just a gofer. He has no say in anything.

gofer

verb

See gopher

gopher ball

n. a baseball pitch that is hit as a home run. (When it is hit, the batter will go for home.) The center fielder did a dive over the fence trying to get the gopher ball.

See also: ball, gopher

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.