Definition
The officially appointed substitutes who do someone else's job when they're unavailable, basically the backup dancers of government and law enforcement who occasionally get to be the headliner. In legislative contexts, they're elected representatives in certain parliamentary systems; in law enforcement, they're the officers who work under the sheriff. Either way, they're empowered to act with someone else's authority, which is both liberating and terrifying.
Example Usage
The sheriff dispatched three deputies to investigate the disturbance at the county fairgrounds.
Source: Common government and law enforcement terminology
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See “deputies” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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