[Idiom] ride a desk

[leungss]

what does "ride a desk" mean?? I tried to google it but I couldn't find the answer in English. Any help would be appreciated. thanks.

[jackolantern]

It means "working a desk job". These types of jobs usually involve sitting at a desk, working on the computer or answering phones all day. It seems to be used in kind of an insulting way, such as a police officer saying "Tony joined the police force to catch criminals, but all he has done is ride a desk. I guess they don't trust him with a gun".

EDIT: It is not very common, and many native speakers would probably have to tell by context what it means.

[bhaisahab]

Originally Posted by leungss

what does "ride a desk" mean?? I tried to google it but I couldn't find the answer in English. Any help would be appreciated. thanks.

I have heard of a similar expression 'to fly a desk'. A pilot in the airforce promoted to an administrative position might say "I'm flying a desk these days".