gutless wonder
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
gutless wonder (plural gutless wonders)
- (slang, derogatory, idiomatic) One who lacks guts or courage; a coward.
- 1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XII, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 125:
- What in the hell was wrong with him, anyway. Just a gutless wonder - nothing more or less.
- 1993, Archie Weller, Going Home[1]:
- Yer can't even fight unless you've got a knife or picket or broken bottle, yer gutless wonder.
Usage notes[edit]
The idea is that the addressee's figurative gutlessness (cowardice) has been carried over into physical gutlessness (disembowelment), and that his bowel-less survival is a wonder.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:coward