Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related Gofer... or Gopher...

Okay, you know how those office grunts that do everything are called gofers... or gophers.... How do you spell it?

I mean, gopher is how spell the animal, but since it stands for 'go for' stuff or 'go fer' stuff, should it be spelled gopher or gofer? What's the consensus?

Boy, I do manage to come up with interesting questions don't I? <giggles>

Hey Nancy!

Ahhh, Dictionary.com (www.dictionary.com) -- it's a beautiful thing! They also have a thesaurus there...it's my first stop when I'm writing.

I was pretty sure it was gofer (slang for "go for") but I looked it up. It's seems you can use gofer, go-fer, or gopher -- whichever you prefer. Here's your definition:

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4 results for: gofer

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
go·fer /&#712;go&#650;f&#601;r/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[goh-fer] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun Slang.
an employee whose chief duty is running errands.
Also, go-fer, gopher.

[Origin: 1965–70; resp. of go for (v. phrase), with -er repr. both vowel reduction in for and -er1]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source
go·fer also go-fer (g&#333;'f&#601;r) Pronunciation Key
n. Slang
An employee who runs errands in addition to performing regular duties.


[Alteration of go for, from that person's having to go for or after things.]

Thanks, DJ. You are a gem!!