A whippersnapper is someone who is younger than you are but also irritatingly overconfident and impertinent, like your little smart aleck cousin. The word whippersnapper describes a specific kind of bratty, know-it-all kid, and it’s only used by an older person who is talking about a younger person.
What does it mean to call someone a whippersnapper?
Definition of whippersnapper
: a diminutive, insignificant, or presumptuous person.
Where does the expression whippersnapper come from?
The term whippersnapper is derived from the terms snipper-snapper and whip-snapper. A whip-snapper was a seventeenth-century term for a young man with nothing better to do than to hang about idly snapping a whip. Whippersnapper is one of those rare terms that has a somewhat literal origin.
When did whippersnapper become a word?
Whippersnapper — an impertinent young person — dates to 17th-century England. Apparently, it was fashionable for young idlers to stand around on street corners snapping whips. They were sometimes called “snipper-snappers.” Why young men stood around snapping whips I don’t know.
What is a Whipperginnie?
also whip-her-jenny [lit. whip her, Jenny; NB SE whipperginnie, a defunct card-game; a mythical ‘land’] a term of abuse for a woman. 1593.
Is whipped meaning?
Slang. exhausted; tired; beat: After all that weeding, I’m whipped. Slang. excessively devoted to or controlled by one’s romantic partner.
What is denotation of yapping?
to bark sharply, shrilly, or snappishly; yelp. Slang. to talk shrilly, noisily, or foolishly. verb (used with object), yapped, yap·ping. to utter by yapping. noun.
Is hogwash a bad word?
Hogwash is a word that sounds as if it were describing using soap to give a pig a good scrub. However, hogwash is not a term that concerns washing a hog, it is actually another word for nonsense, something that is not true or something that does not make sense.
Where did the term tomfoolery come from?
In the Middle Ages, Thome Fole was a name assigned to those perceived to be of little intelligence. This eventually evolved into the spelling tomfool, which, when capitalized, also referred to a professional clown or a buffoon in a play or pageant.
What does the phrase old hand mean?
someone who is very experienced and skilled in a particular area of activity: We should be able to trust Silva to negotiate a good deal for us – he’s an old hand at the game. Synonyms. old-timer informal. veteran.
What does a Ginnie mean?
Save to list. Girl. Italian, Welsh. Italian form of Guinevere, which is a French form of the Welsh Gwenhwyfar, from gwen, meaning “white, fair” and hwyfar, meaning “smooth, soft”.
What’s Ginnie mean?
The Government National Mortgage Association (or Ginnie Mae) is a government corporation within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Is Ginnie a word?
noun An obsolete spelling of guinea .
Why is whip slang for car?
In the early automobile era, the steering wheel became known as the whip. In more modern times, various hiphop artists noticed that the Mercedes Benz logo resembled a steering wheel, which as mentioned was also known as the whip. So by association, the Mercedes Benz and later any fancy car was called a whip.
What is a three line whip?
A three-line whip is a strict instruction to attend and vote according to the party’s position, breach of which would normally have serious consequences. Permission not to attend may be given by the whip, but a serious reason is needed.
Is whipped an insult?
For those who don’t know, calling someone (nearly always male) “whipped” is essentially calling him subservient to his girlfriend. It is essentially shorthand for “whipping boy,” and frequently used as a friendly jab or insult.
What is yap yap yap mean?
Yap yap yap is an onomatopoeia imitating the sharp loud barks of a tiny dog.
What does Yap mean in texting?
Slang. an uncouth or stupid person; bumpkin; fool.
Is yapping rude?
An imperative to be quiet or cease talking immediately. Can be rude, aggressive, or jocular depending on the context. Shut your yap, Bobby—no one asked for the opinion of a dork like you!
Is poppycock a swear word?
These words can still be offensive, but it’s not swearing. So all of the following words mean the same thing – they mean rubbish, the same as poppycock, balderdash or piffle.
What is a poppycock British slang?
Definition of poppycock
: empty talk or writing : nonsense.