Home UK English government stroke

Meaning of government stroke in English:

government stroke

noun

Australian, New Zealand usually the government stroke

  • A deliberately slow pace of work, typically associated with public servants.

    ‘the labourer naturally prefers the government stroke’
    • ‘In Australia, this government stroke figures into every contract for work for the government.’
    • ‘What the Australian calls 'government stroke', Americans call 'soldiering on the job'.’
    • ‘Municipal ownership brings with it the government stroke just as any other kind of governmental ownership does.’
    • ‘Do you not think it would have the effect of giving them the government stroke?’
    • ‘This government stroke means that it takes so much longer to dig a ditch, to construct a building, build a bridge or a piece of railroad.’
    • ‘As a result of state interference, Australia and New Zealand have a new kind of labor called government stroke.’
    • ‘It costs so much more by government stroke to build locomotives that the government can save $4,000 on each locomotive by purchasing from US companies.’
    • ‘The fact is, we're indulging in the government stroke.’
    • ‘No ploughs were allowed, with the idea of making the prisoners' work laborious, so the convicts responded with the government stroke.’
    • ‘The labourer naturally prefers the government stroke and can be tempted away from that easy and pleasant way of passing his time only by an increased rate of wages.’