< humour > (IBM) Middle management or HQ staff, or, by extension, administrative drones in general. The term derives from an old joke:
Two lions escape from the zoo and split up to increase their chances. When they finally meet after two months, one is skinny and the other overweight. The thin one says, "How did you manage? I ate a human just once and they turned out a small army to chase me with guns and nets, it was terrible. Since then I've been reduced to eating mice, insects, even grass." The fat one replies: "Well, *I* hid near an IBM office and ate a manager every day. Nobody even noticed!"
[ Jargon File ]
(1994-12-01)