It’s a fairly old-fashioned word, having been around since the late-1600s, when it apparently arose out of “whip-snapper,” which implied a general sense of lots of noise and very little importance.
Where did the term whippersnapper originate?
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.
What does whippersnapper mean in history?
Definition of whippersnapper
: a diminutive, insignificant, or presumptuous person.
Who invented the word whipper snipper?
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What do you call a whippersnapper?
(ˈwɪpəˌsnæpə ) noun. an insignificant but pretentious or cheeky person, often a young one. Also called: whipster.
Why do old people say whippersnapper?
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.
Is whippersnapper an insult?
If you refer to a young person as a whippersnapper, you disapprove of them because you think that they are behaving more confidently than they should.
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.
Where did the phrase hogwash come from?
From Middle English *hoggewasch (found only as Middle English hoggyswasch (“refuse of the kitchen for feeding pigs”, literally “hog’s wash”)), equivalent to hog + wash.
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.
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 snipper snapper meaning?
A small, insignificant fellow
snipper-snapper (plural snipper-snappers) (colloquial, dated) A small, insignificant fellow.
What is the synonym of the word vex?
Some common synonyms of vex are annoy, bother, and irk. While all these words mean “to upset a person’s composure,” vex implies greater provocation and stronger disturbance and usually connotes anger but sometimes perplexity or anxiety.
What is a synonym for rapscallion?
synonyms: knave, rascal, rogue, scalawag, scallywag, varlet. type of: scoundrel, villain. a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately.
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 a person over 90 called?
A person between 80 and 89 is called an octogenarian. A person between 90 and 99 is called a nonagenarian. A person between 100 and 109 is called a centenarian. A person 110 years old or older is called a supercentenarian.
What do you call a younger person?
youngster/youth
nounperson before the age of maturity. boy. chick. cub. fledgling.
What is the definition of moppet?
Definition of moppet
1 archaic : baby, darling. 2 : child. Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More About moppet.
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.
What is cockney rhyming slang for Jewellery?
With a standard definition of “foolish or silly behaviour”, tomfoolery is also a term in Cockney rhyming slang, meaning “jewellery”.
What is a synonym for shenanigans?
Definitions of shenanigan. the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them) synonyms: chicane, chicanery, guile, trickery, wile. types: dupery, fraud, fraudulence, hoax, humbug, put-on. something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage.