English
jobsworth
A compound of job + -s- + worth, derived from the phrase “It’s more than me job’s worth” or “...
Proto-Germanic *werþaz ‘worthy’
Proto-West Germanic *werþ
Old English weorþ ‘worth’
Middle English worth
English worth
The story
A compound of job + -s- + worth, derived from the phrase “It’s more than me job’s worth” or “... my job’s worth” as used in denial of a request by a functionary, chiefly popularized by Jeremy Taylor's 1973 song “Jobsworth” and the 1973–1994 BBC television series That’s Life! which focused on consumer affairs and gave a “Jobsworth of the Week” award to “a startling tale of going by the book”.
Today it means
noun A person who upholds trivial rules unnecessarily and obstructively in order to exercise their (typically minor) authority.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / jobsworth