whippersnapper
UK /ˈwɪpəˌsnæpə/ · US /ˈʍɪpəɹˌsnæpəɹ/ noun
Forms whippersnappers whipper-snapper whipper snapper
- noun (colloquial) A young and cheeky or presumptuous person; often with a connotation of ignorance via inexperience. “These whippersnappers have never had to walk far or carry water.”
Synonyms
Etymology
Extension of *whip-snapper (“a cracker of whips”), or perhaps from snipper-snapper. Compare also whipperginnie (“term of abuse for a woman”), late 16th c.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A diminutive, insignificant, or presumptuous person. [Colloq.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “whippersnapper”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details