Featherbedding: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Featherbedding noun. Keeping more staff than a job needs, or slowing work down, to protect jobs.
How to say it
FETH-uh-bed-ing/ˈfɛðəbɛdɪŋ/
4 syllables, stressed on the first (FETH).
Featherbedding in a sentence
The railway was accused of featherbedding, with three men on trains that needed one.
Years of featherbedding by the state had left the industry soft and slow.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- overmanning
- padding
Where featherbedding comes from
From the soft comfort of a feather bed; the work sense is American, from the early 20th century.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Years of _____ by the state had left the industry soft and slow.
- featherbedding
- factotum
- vocation
Show the answer
featherbedding: Years of featherbedding by the state had left the industry soft and slow.