Meaning of room meat | Babel Free

Definitions

Person(s) present in a passive way or to make up the numbers; bystander(s).

informal, uncountable

Examples

“There is a scene in the film In The Loop where an MP is asked to attend⟳ an important meeting. But as he enters the room he is warned, with some menace, to keep⟳ his mouth shut⟳ tight. "What?", he asks, "You've got me here as room meat?"”

“How much of our lives as academics is spent as room meat: turning up to things because it would look⟳ bad if the numbers were small, or just because we are meant to be there?”

CEFR level