Cog

She said: " We're not wasting time. While the cogs of Parliament continue to whir, we will continue to work on the rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, the national transport integrated strategy, and our accessibility roadmap.

just a cog in the machine

1976, Norman Denny (English translation), Victor Hugo (original French), Les Misérables ‘There are twenty-five of us, but they don’t reckon I’m worth anything. I’m just a cog in the machine.’

1988, David Mamet, Speed-the-Plow Your boss tells you “take initiative,” you best guess right—and you do, then you get no credit. Day-in, … smiling, smiling, just a cog.

All the old problems, the stale ones, both personal and general, had been solved by one mighty slash. Heaven alone knew as yet what others might arise - and it looked as though there would be plenty of them - but they would be new. I was emerging as my own master, and no longer a cog.

The name of the ship was Dawn Treader. She was only a little bit of a thing compared with one of our ships, or even with the cogs, dromonds, carracks and galleons which Narnia had owned when Lucy and Edmund had reigned there under Peter as the High King, for nearly all navigation had died out in the reigns of Caspian's ancestors.

False suggestions, shamelesse cogs, and impious forgeries.

1726, Jonathan Swift (debated), Molly Mog For guineas in other men's breeches, / Your gamesters will palm and will cog.