Subject: Re: Government Work

From: [email-masked]
Date: 23 Mar 1995 15:35:56 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Ron Thompson) writes:
[...]
>
>My understanding is that when you refer to "goverment work" is that you are 
>really doing personal work on goverment time. And for close enough for... I 
>understand that one to mean that if you are doing it for yourself you would 
>have taken more care but the sorry job you did is "close enough for 
>goverment work". 
>
>Ron
>
[...]

My understanding of the origin of "government job" is that it's what you
say in response to a co-worker who asks you what you're doing when you're
using company equipment to work on a personal project, as in "I wish I
could tell you what it is, but I can't -- it's a top secret job for The
Government."

                      ...when I sit down to write
Don Holly             my intentions are always blameless however deplorable
                      the ultimate effect of the act may turn out to be.
                                           --Joseph Conrad

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From: [email-masked] (Carla Fong)
Date: 22 Mar 1995 21:02:45 -0800

In <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (murr rhame) writes:

>Curious about the slang term "government work".  In every shop I've been
>in government work has been used to describe a machinist doing personal
>work. 

Is anyone >from the west half of the US or other countries familiar with
this slang? 

When I went to work for a large west coast electronics manufacturer in 
the late 1960's, the term "Government Project" or G-Job was well 
established. As it was my first job, I wasn't sure of the protocol or 
terminology, and thought my leg was being pulled when i was told to refer 
to personal projects as "Government" jobs.

As it turned out, it seemed that the entire company was oriented to 
turning out these projects in preference to the actual business of the 
company... 

The standing joke was "How many people work at X ?... Answer: "About half"
-- 
[email-masked]          God has angels to help with her work, 
                             The devil has politicians

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From: [email-masked] (Ron Thompson)
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 13:52:45 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (murr rhame) writes:

>[email-masked] (Carla Fong) writes:

>The usage seems to be pretty widespread with longstanding roots.  I had a
>little trouble with it when I was first heard it used in a shop class. 
>(Thought he was doing work for the school. :-)  This must be related to the
>phrase "close enough for government work".  If you have ever done actual
>US government contract work you know that the federal government is famous
>for over specifying everything.  Close enough for personal use makes much
>more sense. 

>- murr -

Ron

Ron Thompson                      |     Internet:  [email-masked]
Psychology Dept.                  |     Voice:     904-644-5563
Florida State University          |     FAX:       904-644-7739
Tallahassee,  FL 32306-1051       |     Amateur Radio N4FHO

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From: [email-masked] (Lewis Cobb External)
Date: 24 Mar 1995 13:04:20 GMT

Up here in Canada (eh) I have only ever heard the term "close enough for 
government work" - I feel after reading this thread that a gap which has 
existed in my knowledge for many years has now been filled - hehe

Lewis
[email-masked]

[email-masked] wrote:
: In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Ron Thompson) writes:
: [...]
: >
: >My understanding is that when you refer to "goverment work" is that you are 
: >really doing personal work on goverment time. And for close enough for... I 
: >understand that one to mean that if you are doing it for yourself you would 
: >have taken more care but the sorry job you did is "close enough for 
: >goverment work". 
: >
: >Ron
: >
: [...]

: My understanding of the origin of "government job" is that it's what you
: say in response to a co-worker who asks you what you're doing when you're
: using company equipment to work on a personal project, as in "I wish I
: could tell you what it is, but I can't -- it's a top secret job for The
: Government."

:                       ...when I sit down to write
: Don Holly             my intentions are always blameless however deplorable
:                       the ultimate effect of the act may turn out to be.
:                                            --Joseph Conrad

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 09:11:18 -0500

>could tell you what it is, but I can't -- it's a top secret job for The

The explanation I heard for this usage was that, at least in the USofA,
the government is supposed to be made up of "We the people...", hence
anything you do for yourself is also being done for the government.
In programmer circles, I've also heard the "close enough for government work"
become "close enough for rock-and-roll".

Don

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From: [email-masked] (murr rhame)
Date: 23 Mar 1995 08:37:15 -0500

- murr -

---

From: [email-masked] (Daryl Bender)
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 16:52:58 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]

> existed in my knowledge for many years has now been filled - hehe
Snip

Well I'm Up here in Canada and I've heard of the term Government Job
(G-Job) many times. I however do not partake in such selfish endeavours for
it is frivolous waste of corporate time and resources (wink). 

 Mr G-Job
-- 
(still) Working, but not speaking for BNR.

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From: [email-masked] (murr rhame)
Date: 22 Mar 1995 15:12:56 -0500

Curious about the slang term "government work".  In every shop I've been
in government work has been used to describe a machinist doing personal
work.  This is true in shops that have never had a government contract. 
I've asked folks about it who are from many states up and down the east
coast.  Every machinist I've asked is familiar with the term.  Is anyone
from the west half of the US or other countries familiar with this slang? 

- Murr "just did some government work after hours yesterday" Rhame

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From: [email-masked] (FredStan)
Date: 25 Mar 1995 04:49:28 -0500

I have been working in the military electronics industry for 13 or so
years and I never heard the term G-job until just recently from a
co-worker (over 20 years of military electronics history). I asked him
what that meant and he went into his usual long speal to explain which all
boiled down to mean that you were doing a personal project on govt. time
and probably using govt. parts and it was encouraged (unofficially)
because of the educational benefits. As I stated previously I never heard
the term G-job but I have seen it in practice, not so much in recent due
to economic stress in military companies in general trying to become more
competitive and get into comercial markets.

As far as the term "Good enough for Government work" that one I have heard
from day one and what it means usually is that you just kludged something
and it really doesn't have to be done right because it is for the
government. 99% of the time the person saying it really means "OK I
screwed up but I am not going to fix it, right now at least, but I do know
the proper solution" in my experience ? It also insinuates that you
shouldn't worry about it because the government will give us more funds to
fix it later anyhow !

Pretty bad attitude, But isn't it the american way ? (at least thats what
the rest of the world thinks about us !)[ wasn't it the Japanese prime
minister who made those regretfull statements, considering their current
economic down trend]
....Fred Stanford

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From: [email-masked] (Ron Thompson)
Date: Sat, 25 Mar 1995 11:55:35 GMT

>minister who made those regretfull statements, considering their current

I think we pretty well have the same definitions. I can not remember the 
first time I heard the terms. My father was in the military and maybe that 
is where I first heard it. Places I have worked have always had ex-military 
people working there and I know at least some of them if not all used the 
term.

Ron

Ron Thompson                   |  Voice (904) 644-5563
Psychology Dept                |  Fax   (904) 644-7739
Florida State Univ             |  Amateur Radio N4FHO
Tallahassee, FL 33206-1051     |  Member Florida Flywheelers

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From: [email-masked] (Wayne Beardsley)
Date: 25 Mar 1995 13:04:14 -0500

I first heard the term "Government Work" when I was working at Cornell
University's high energy physics lab in the late '60s. Most often used when
was someone was asked about a personal project they were working on, they
would reply: "can't talk about it, it's top secret government work". I
believe it probably came first from the guys working in defense contractor
R&D shops.

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From: [email-masked] (Feen Ben J)
Date: 25 Mar 1995 19:54:32 GMT

Funny...  I learned the term, "good enough for government work" in high school
theatre, and took it to mean,  "it's for the government, and I don't care if
it's right."  I used it today, in fact :-)

As for "close enough for rock n' roll", well, in the theatrical industry, this
refers to the quick 'n dirty jobs required of union stagehands doing rock
tours.

--
Benjamin Feen
Theatrical Technology major at large
[email-masked]
Woo!

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From: [email-masked] (michael jensen)
Date: 24 Mar 1995 20:57:58 GMT

murr rhame ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Curious about the slang term "government work".  In every shop I've been
: in government work has been used to describe a machinist doing personal
: work.  This is true in shops that have never had a government contract. 
: I've asked folks about it who are from many states up and down the east
: coast.  Every machinist I've asked is familiar with the term.  Is anyone
: from the west half of the US or other countries familiar with this slang? 

: - Murr "just did some government work after hours yesterday" Rhame

The term that I have heard used is G-job, short for a job for the 
Goverment.

--
Mike Jensen ([email-masked]) 
Chemistry Instrument Shop              
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
(402) 472-3542

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From: [email-masked] (Arlen)
Date: Fri, 07 Apr 1995 19:26:30 -0800

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Michael
Horgan) wrote:

> In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked]
(FredStan) writes: >
> I grew up hearing about "G-Jobs" in the 50's and 60's. Nothing new there, 
> but I'd like to hear if another term is at all widespread...
> 
> When I was working in communications for export, a "G-Job" was referred 
> to as a "Swiss-Navy" job. Anyone else ever hear the term?
> 
> Michael Horgan
> [email-masked]

I started work at Boeing in the Spring of 51 and was in Tool Fabrication.
We were pre-hired (before they needed us) so all of the new hires were
sent to schools,etc to keep us busy until they could find work for us. 
The senior workers were told to keep us busy so most of us ended up doing
"Government Work". This generally consisted of making tools and devices
that we would find useful in our future activites. I don't think anyone
made personal items that were not work related so I guess it was a very
useful unwritten program. We got the practical experience and made useful
items for on the job use.
This sort of activity has to be watched carefully, as it can get out of
hand, if used to make personal items,etc.