namby-pamby

views updated May 23 2018

nam·by-pam·by / ˈnambē ˈpambē/ • adj. derog. lacking energy, strength, or courage; feeble or effeminate in behavior or expression: these weren't namby-pamby fights, but brutal affairs where heads hit the sidewalk.• n. (pl. -bies) a feeble or effeminate person.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

namby-pamby

views updated May 21 2018

namby-pamby weakly sentimental, childishly simple. XVIII. joc. redupl. formation on the name of Ambrose Philips (d. 1749), author of pastorals, which were ridiculed by H. Carey and Pope.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD