namby-pamby

WOTD – 11 March 2006    

English

Etymology

From the nickname of the poet Ambrose Phillips, coined by Henry Carey in 1726.

Adjective

namby-pamby (comparative more namby-pamby, superlative most namby-pamby)

1. Insipid and sentimental.
2. Lacking vigor or decisiveness; spineless; wishy-washy.

Translations

insipid and sentimental

• French: gnangnan (fr)

• Spanish: ñoño (es)

lacking vigor or decisiveness

• Spanish: soso (es) m

Noun

namby-pamby (plural namby-pambies)

1. One who is insipid, sentimental, or weak.
2. Talk or writing which is weakly sentimental or affectedly pretty.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Macaulay to this entry?)

Translations

one who is insipid, sentimental, or weak

• French: gnangnan (fr) m

• Spanish: ñoño (es) m