Fainaiguer

/ˌfeɪnɛˈɡɜr/ noun

Definition

A person who shirks work, idles, or uses clever trickery to avoid responsibility and effort.

Etymology

From French 'fainéant' and 'finaiguer', with -er (agent suffix) added to create a noun describing a person who engages in this behavior.

Kelly Says

A 'fainaiguer' was the sneaky soldier who made it look like he was working while actually accomplishing nothing—the opposite of the eager, hardworking soldier that officers wanted to promote!

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