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biˈpæm adjective
1.
without firm methods or policy; weak or indecisive: namby-pamby handling of juvenile offenders.
2.
lacking in character, directness, or moral or emotional strength: namby-pamby writing.
3.
weakly sentimental, pretentious, or affected; insipid.
noun
4.
a namby-pamby person: written by and for namby-pambies.
5.
namby-pamby sentiment: the harmless namby-pamby of a birthday card.
6.
namby-pamby verse or prose.
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is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Origin:
1726; rhyming compound based on the first syllable of Ambrose Philips; first used as a nickname for Philips in the title of a poem by Henry Carey (1687?–1743) ridiculing his verse
1726; rhyming compound based on the first syllable of Ambrose Philips; first used as a nickname for Philips in the title of a poem by Henry Carey (1687?–1743) ridiculing his verse
Related forms
nam·by-pam·bi·ness, nam·by-pam·by·ism, noun
nam·by-pam·by·ish, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
namby-pamby (ˌnæmbɪˈpæmbɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | sentimental or prim in a weak insipid way: namby-pamby manners |
| 2. | clinging, feeble, or spineless: a namby-pamby child |
| —n , -bies | |
| 3. | a person who is namby-pamby |
| [C18: a nickname of Ambrose Phillips (died 1749), whose pastoral verse was ridiculed for being insipid] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
namby-pamby
1726, satiric nickname of Eng. poet Ambrose Philips (1674-1749) mocking his sentimental pastorals addressed to infant members of the nobility. Used first in a farce credited to Carey; in general sense of "weakly sentimental, insipidly pretty" it is attested from 1745.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
namby-pamby definition[ˈnæmbiˈpæmbi]
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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