niminy-piminy
[ nim-uh-nee-pim-uh-nee ]
adjective
affectedly delicate or refined; mincing; effeminate: A niminy-piminy shyness makes frankness impossible.
Origin of niminy-piminy
11795–1805; rhyming compound; cf. namby-pamby
Other words from niminy-piminy
- nim·i·ny-pim·i·ni·ness, noun
- nim·i·ny-pim·i·ny·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for niminy-piminy
niminy-piminy
/ (ˈnɪmɪnɪˈpɪmɪnɪ) /
adjective
excessively refined; prim
Origin of niminy-piminy
1C19: imitative of a prim affected enunciation
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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