chinless wonder

noun

Etymology

The term is derived from the characteristic recessive chin of some aristocrats, popularly thought to be caused by inbreeding and associated with limited intelligence, and from the idea of a robust chin being an indication of masculinity. The use of wonder is ironic.

Definitions

  1. An ineffectual upper-class man, typically dim-witted and of a weak or indecisive…

    An ineffectual upper-class man, typically dim-witted and of a weak or indecisive character, frequently one who gained his position through nepotism or social connections.

    • She is thin, starved to near perfection […] He, a chinless wonder, a credit to Carnaby Street; they stand hand in hand before the enquiry desk
    • [Actor] John Harding personified the idle spirit of the times as a tennis-possessed chinless wonder.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for chinless wonder. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA