hewers of wood and drawers of water
Noun
Meaning
hewers of wood and drawers of water pl (plural only)
Those who drudge, or are made to work hard; those who do menial or servile work at the behest of others; physical labourers.
Examples
If we do not add something to the knowledge of cosmic rays by our trip to the stratosphere this summer, we had better not go. We had better stay on the ground, be hewers of wood and drawers of water.