پشت‌میز

What it means

پشت‌میز (posht-e miz) is a colloquial compound built from two components: پشت (posht, “back, behind”), a native Persian word, and میز (miz, “table, desk”), which entered Persian via Ottoman Turkish. Literally it means “behind the desk,” but as a set phrase it describes a person who is bureaucratic, sedentary, and removed from the actual work being discussed. You might say someone is آدم پشت‌میزی (âdam-e posht-e mizi), meaning a desk jockey or someone who has never done the job they are managing. It contrasts with someone who is practical or hands-on.

How to use it

• اون یه آدم پشت‌میزیه، از کار عملی چیزی سرش نمیشه. (Un ye âdam-e posht-e mizie, az kâr-e amali chizi sareš nemishe.) “He’s a desk jockey, he doesn’t understand the practical work.”
• این تصمیم‌ها رو آدم‌های پشت‌میز گرفتن. (In tasmimâ ro âdamâ-ye posht-e miz gereftand.) “These decisions were made by desk-bound people.”
• بعد از ده سال پشت‌میزی، خسته شدم. (Bad az dah sâl posht-miziyi, khaste shodam.) “After ten years of desk work, I got tired.”
• مدیر پشت‌میزه، بیرون نمیاد. (Modir posht-e mize, birun nemiyâd.) “The manager is at his desk, he doesn’t come out.”

Cultural note

The expression پشت‌میز carries a mild but real negative connotation in Iranian work culture, implying a disconnect between management and reality. It reflects a broader cultural skepticism toward office bureaucrats, especially in government contexts where decision-makers are seen as insulated from the practical consequences of their choices. The term is used freely in casual conversation and does not require much social distance to deploy.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab