copy jockey

1. (U.S. slang, esp. among writers) A professional writer paid little to produce large amounts of content or a large number of articles in a short period for any type of commercial publication as part of an entry-level writing position or contract work; typically a copy jockey's pay rate or employer requirements force her to disregard good style, structure, grammar and/or sound research, not because she is incapable of fine writing, but because her pay rate and/or deadlines will not permit intense attention to detail without making the writer destitute; in cases of Internet copy jockeys, work may feature black-hat SEO tactics like excessive keyword stuffing (See: "Word Salad"); a hack 2. A poorly paid or unpaid intern or contractor anywhere, but especially in law practices, whose primary responsibilities include basic clerical work, such as creating a large number of photocopies by a given deadline. 3. A real-estate agent who sells properties whose listings were secured by other agents; typically such agents do not make as much as those who generate listings.

"Although the company's Craigslist ad stated they were looking for young journalists with a fresh perspective, their stated pay rate revealed they could only afford a copy jockey."

"Tell that copy jockey Brad to grab me a coffee on his way back from Kinkos."

"If you don't take the initiative to get your own listings, you'll always be Frank's copy jockey."

Derivation: Probably a singsong comparison between the speed with which legal interns must work and the speed with which horse jockeys must ride. Also, likely, a comparison between the low salaries both jobs offer. See: "copy" and "jockey."

The earliest online usage of the term among the legal community dates from 2005. The earliest instance of its use as Definition 1 is found in 2008 business emails by American journalist, poet, comic-book writer and critic Phillip DeNune Provance. Provance likely requisitioned the term from an unidentified New York City paralegal. Since the second half of the same decade, the term has entered wider usage, especially among bloggers, as an epithet for the underpaid and over-worked in all professions.

Compare "copy jockey" with "hack": A "copy jockey" knows how to write better, but either does not have time or is required to write poorly; a "hack," in contrast, is oblivious to the low quality of her work.

by copy jockey October 30, 2013

copy strike

a word made up by a "twitch thot" named alinity who happens to moan after every sentence

CAN WE COPY STRIKE PEWDIEPIE

by Looper-. June 12, 2018

Copy-Paste Politics

Biased politics that exist solely in the social media format. It involves the act of copying/pasting links to mostly erroneous biased social groups and media outlets, to prove one's argument. Sharing the same source applied as well. The term also explains a watered down or mutated version of facts and evidence, as it is ceaselessly copied over and over. Mostly, the tumor caused by the aforementioned mutation takes the form of a meme.

Did you see the recent Buzzfeed post on Facebook about the top 10 white privilege offenders in Hollywood?

No. Dude, don't get so caught up in Copy-Paste Politics now-a-days.

by mattydeuces March 8, 2019

copy copy

hurd you; copy that

person 1: “yo we gotta go to the park later”

person 2: “copy copy”

by ayochillllll June 19, 2020

Copy Wedgie

A type of wedgie. First you give someone a wedgie, feel free to make it an atomic wedgie, then you drag them over to a copy machine. Once there, you take off their pants. Since they have been wedgied, there ass is exposed. Place them on top of the copy machine, and get a bunch of pictures of their wedged ass. Once you have the copies, give them to everyone around.

Derek was really starting to piss me off, so I gave him a copy wedgie. He screamed, but it was too late. Everyone was gonna see his ass.

by Apple Seeds 360 January 8, 2021

copy and paste

Selling a thought, information, or style as your own to a neophyte so others can be impressd by your knowledge, even though you spent the last 78 minutes on the Internet looking up the info you are spewing.

The guys I work with copy and paste info to the customers so they can assert their 'GURU' status.

by juan phat kat November 29, 2010

copy slut

A person who uses a copy machine to photocopy their breasts or genitals.

I hear there was a copy slut in the office over the weekend.

by njtotx July 13, 2010