galley slave

• Personne qui travaille énormément, souvent à une tâche répétitive ou mal payée, avec peu de repos ou de récompense ; à l'origine, désignait les esclaves forcés de ramer sur les galères antiques.

A person who works extremely hard, often in a menial or repetitive job, with little rest or reward; originally referring to slaves forced to row on ancient ships.

1. Historical forced laborerB2formal

   A person forced to row a galley (a type of ship) in ancient and medieval times, often a prisoner or slave.

   galérien

   • The galley slaves were chained to their oars for hours.
   • In ancient Rome, captured enemies were often made galley slaves.
   • The harsh conditions of a galley slave were notorious.

2. Metaphorical overworked personC1informal

   A person who works extremely hard under difficult conditions, often with little reward or freedom.

   galérien

   • After working 80-hour weeks, he felt like a galley slave.
   • The interns were treated like galley slaves by the demanding boss.
   • She described her job as being a galley slave for a publishing company.