whippersnapper

whippersnapper
/hwip"euhr snap'euhr, wip"-/, n.
an unimportant but offensively presumptuous person, esp. a young one.
[1665-75; prob. b. earlier whipster and snippersnapper, similar in sense; see WHIP, SNAP, -ER1]

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  • Whippersnapper — Whip per*snap per, n. A diminutive, insignificant, or presumptuous person. [Colloq.] Little whippersnappers like you. T. Hughes. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whippersnapper — Allgemeine Informationen Genre(s) Punk, Melodic Hardcore Gründung 1995 Auflösung 2003 Website …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • whippersnapper — 1670s, apparently a jingling extension [OED] of *whip snapper a cracker of whips, or perhaps an alteration of snipper snapper (1590s). Cf. also late 16c. whipperginnie, a term of abuse for a woman …   Etymology dictionary

  • whippersnapper — ► NOUN informal ▪ a young and inexperienced person who is presumptuous or overconfident. ORIGIN perhaps representing whipsnapper, expressing noise and unimportance …   English terms dictionary

  • whippersnapper — [hwip′ər snap΄ər, wip′ər snap΄ər] n. [extended < whip snapper, one who snaps whips] an insignificant, esp. young, person who appears impertinent or presumptuous …   English World dictionary

  • whippersnapper — UK [ˈwɪpə(r)ˌsnæpə(r)] / US [ˈwɪpərˌsnæpər] / US [ˈhwɪpərˌsnæpər] noun [countable] Word forms whippersnapper : singular whippersnapper plural whippersnappers informal old fashioned a young person who talks and behaves as though they are important …   English dictionary

  • whippersnapper — noun /ˈwɪpəˌsnæpə,ˈwɪpərˌsnæpər/ a young and cheeky or presumptuous person thought that the President elect, his junior by over 25 years, was merely a young whippersnapper …   Wiktionary

  • whippersnapper — whip|per|snap|per [ˈwıpəˌsnæpə US ˈwıpərˌsnæpər] n [Date: 1600 1700; Origin: Probably from snipper snapper whippersnapper (16 19 centuries), probably from snip + snap] old fashioned a young person who is too confident and does not show enough… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • whippersnapper — [[t](h)wɪ̱pə(r)snæpə(r)[/t]] whippersnappers N COUNT (disapproval) 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. [INFORMAL, OLD FASHIONED] …   English dictionary

  • whippersnapper — noun Etymology: alteration of snippersnapper Date: 1700 a diminutive, insignificant, or presumptuous person …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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