noun
gopher
GOH-fuh
noun
1
A small burrowing rodent native to North America, known for digging extensive tunnel systems.
"The gopher tunneled straight under the vegetable patch."
"Farmers set traps to keep gophers out of the field."
2
(informal) A person who runs errands for someone else.
"As the new intern, he spent his first week as office gopher."
How to Use Gopher
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the burrowing rodent, or (informally) someone sent to 'go for' things — fetch and carry — for other people.
Common mistake
The 'errand runner' sense is a pun on 'go for' and is unrelated to the animal's actual etymology.
Common pairings
gopher hole
office gopher
Word Forms
gophers plural
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The _____ tunneled straight under the vegetable patch.
Etymology
Possibly from Cajun French gaufre ("honeycomb, waffle"), the idea being that a gopher's network of burrows looks like the holes in a honeycomb or waffle.