Green’s Dictionary of Slang

pertaining to bureaucracy, clerking, paperwork.

1897		Dallas Dly Chron. (OR) 2 Sept. 3/3: A member of our own pencil-pushing fraternity.
1902		C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 155: A pencil-pushing aide de camp from Cairo, Ill.
1988		(con. 1940s) C. Bram Hold Tight (1990) 133: Don’t think I’m some pencil-pushing milquetoast.