Daily Curiosity

General Knowledge · Question

If you are caught "Goldbricking", what are you doing wrong?

Answer

Slacking

The story behind the answer

Slacking. “Goldbricking” means shirking work or doing the bare minimum while giving the appearance of being busy. The image comes from a “gold brick”: a cheap or worthless brick coated to look like solid gold—shiny on the outside, little value inside. Likewise, a goldbricker looks productive but contributes little.

The term originated in the late 19th century from a con where swindlers sold gilded bricks as gold, and it became U.S. military slang in the early 20th century for soldiers dodging duty. Today it can include “cyberloafing” (on-the-clock web browsing). Memory tip: a “gold brick” glitters but doesn’t pull its weight—so goldbricking means pretending to work while slacking.

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