bring up the old man

bring up the old man
 v. phr.— «Bring up the old man—request to a new worker in fun. He sometimes comes back up with the janitor. An “old man” is the “backstop for a mechanical drill.”» —“Jargon from International Union of Elevator Constructors, Local No. 1, 208 East 54th St.” by Hatch in New York City Lexicon of Trade Jargon , 1938-39. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)