Synonym for "golden child" or managerial favorite, and yes, I know that it originally meant a male prostitute dressed to look feminine. I'm not the first to use it in that way.

"Golden child" doesn't have enough bite and Ancient Greek references get old.

It definitely still means a transsexual prostitute. I can't find any mention at all of this managerial definition anywhere.

I'm not disputing that it is used that way in certain circles, but it isn't common. Also, ladyboy is often used as a term of hatred and abuse against transsexual people, so if you keep using it like that eventually you're going to be in a situation where you come across like some old guy casually talking about "niggers in the woodpile" and that would be bad. (I'm not saying it's equivalent, just that it could land you in equivalently hot water. You know what I mean.)

I didn't know that it was a term of abuse. I won't use it, then.

I guess we need another emasculating/biting term for male managerial favorites. "Protege, in the Ancient Greek sense of the word" is a lot of words, but it's the best alternative I can come up with.

Perhaps a re-contextualisation of the phrase "Teacher's Pet" could be sufficiently infantilising?

Desk ornament.

Shame, cos I could have sworn he was talking of my direct experiences