trowel fodder
n.— «It will be possible for people who have some excavation experience to come as volunteers. In these cases there will be no formal tuition provided. However, this does not simply mean that they will be used as trowel fodder!» —“Re: Looking For Work On A Dig!” by Dave Beard Usenet: sci.archaeology Mar. 15, 1995. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A librarian opens a book and finds a mysterious invitation scribbled on the back of a business card. Another discovers a child’s letter to the Tooth Fairy, tucked into a book decades ago. What stories are left untold by these forgotten...
There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and...