"Clerk" is a professional in working with papers

Even in pre-revolutionary Russia, office life was in full swing. Although it was impossible for a contemporary to see the usual clerks or office managers, a clerk met a suffering person instead. This is any small employee at the administrative office that was engaged in record keeping and document management. For lack of computers, a very troublesome and time-consuming task.

What are the meanings of the speaker?

The position included the functions of secretary and clerk. The word has two basic interpretations:

  • written clerk - in an office, other institution;

  • Head of a small office.

Moreover, the second option is considered obsolete due to the lack of appropriate institutions. Today, accounting and chancellery are becoming independent units with their own staff. And for the average employee, they often use the words “manager” or “administrator”, which is true both for shops and for state enterprises.

Special services and security officers are periodically called clerks

What is the relationship with the service of the motherland?

Since the line of business focuses on management, reporting, and filling out business documents, the statement is logical: the clerk is an official. Official posts may sound different, differ markedly from the original name. This was due to borrowing from European languages, and partly due to the negative connotation inherent in the term.

Shifting papers was considered an unworthy occupation for certain groups of people. How much strength and mind do you need to fix the data on the form? In addition, although the suffix -shchik-, although it forms nouns by occupation, it is too consonant with the suffix -ik-. The seemingly diminutive and gentle notes give a derogatory value, which is often used at the household level.

What are unofficial transcripts?

The criminal world also did not ignore the colorful term. With a slight irony, the clerks shamelessly called the owners of dens and similar establishments of dubious quality. Such an “employee” kept a record of the guests, calculated the expenses-income and provided the guests with everything necessary.

Dennis Hof, a famous owner of a network of brothels, could be called a clerk in the Argo

Actually these days?

It is almost impossible to imagine a situation in which the definition is used for its intended purpose. Today, the “clerk” is something dense and incomprehensible. Unless in an informal atmosphere and with a mockery they can call an official like that. Or an employee of the law enforcement and supervisory agencies, which are also unofficially called offices. When communicating with strangers, it is better to replace them with harmonious synonyms, so as not to offend the interlocutor.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/C37729/


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