trowel fodder
n.— «I have been working in a commercial archaeology company as basic trowel fodder for a year and have now been given the task of writing the small finds report from my first site.» —“Draft layout for a small finds report” by John Michaels Usenet: sci.archaeology.moderated Apr. 24, 1999. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In The Timbuktu Review, travel writer Wayne Curtis offers excellent advice about how to resist cliches when writing about visiting a new place. This is part of a complete episode.
Related
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...