backroom boy
brain truster

But because no one would volunteer, we had to use backroom boys.

Poor eyesight had prevented Thomas from qualifying as a pilot; but he was not content to be a backroom boy.

Ritchie was a brilliant backroom boy, and I agree wit the praise listed above.

I think you'd better be a financial adviser - one of the bank's backroom boys.

We could turn the backroom boys on to it.

And if it happened a few times more, we should soon be giving the backroom boys full priorities.

They were the backroom boys who tested the planes which helped win the battle of Britain.

"I was called one of the backroom boys," he said.

"I was called one of the backroom boys," the article stated.

The backroom boys always felt squeamish when they heard the results of their tinkering.