Meaning & Definition of word "Gopher"

Gopher

/ˈɡoʊ.fɚ/

1. A small, burrowing rodent of the family Geomyidae, found in North and Central America, which has large cheek pouches for carrying food.
- Example: The children were excited to see the gopher scurrying across the field.
2. A person who runs errands or performs menial tasks for others, often used in a work or academic context.
- Example: As the new intern, he was often referred to as the gopher for the senior staff.
3. A type of computer program that facilitates the organization and retrieval of information on the internet, largely obsolete now.
- Example: In the early 90s, many users accessed information through a gopher protocol before the rise of the World Wide Web.

The term 'gopher' comes from the 17th century, possibly from the French 'gaufre' (meaning 'waffle', referring to the shape of their burrows).

gopher it:

To go ahead and do something without hesitation.

gofer:

A person who runs errands or does menial tasks.

tunnel:

A long, narrow passage dug through the ground.

Meaning: A worker who does all the small tasks.

Example Sentence: He's just the office gopher, always doing the little things nobody else wants to do.

Meaning: Someone tasked with fetching something.

Example Sentence: Can you be the gopher and grab us some snacks?