I have a co-worker who is a slacker. They avoid as much work as possible and have no work ethic. It makes me crazy
A slacker ? Is that another term for a lazy individual?
Yes, it is. I think it's funny that the term dates back to about 1790. I can't picture people talking  like that back then.
So who first couch the word?
I'm not totally sure about that, but it started to be used in the US during WWI. People who avoided military service were slackers and the attempts to track them down were called "slacker raids"
That's interesting! Have you ever been called that name before?
term was also used during the World War II period in the United States. In 1940, "Time" quoted the U.S. Army on managing the military draft efficiently: "War is not going to wait while every slacker resorts to endless appeals."
Evolution.
The shift in the use of "slacker" from its draft-related meaning to a more general sense of the avoidance of work is unclear. In April 1948, "The New Republic" referred to "resentment against taxes levied to aid slackers"
Slacker
A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic.
Origin.
According to different sources, the term "slacker" dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early to mid 20th century, when Sudanese labourers protested their relative powerlessness by working lethargically, a form of protest known as "slacking".
World wars.
In the United States during World War I, the word "slacker" was commonly used to