Klarinet Archive - Posting 000061.txt from 2003/03

From: b1rite@-----. Rite)
Subj: Re: [kl] cute names
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 00:56:11 -0500

<><> Natilius=A0Theresius=A0Visagius wrote:
Yeah, really. What's with adults calling the little folk
"whippersnappers"? I've been called this so many times I'm starting to
think it's a synonym for my name.

....your question caused me to consult several dictionaries, including
two dictionaries of slang. Putting them all together:

"Whippersnapper" is a variant of "snippersnapper". Webster's
Unabridged says that the origin of snippersnapper is unknown, but of
course the word suggests "snippy".

I had always thought that "whippersnapper" implies a combination of
youth and misguided self-assurance with a touch of aggression, but the
dictionaries agree that youth is not part of the word's definition.
Rather, the definition is "an insignificant and pretentious person".

....shades of meaning, I learned something new tonight.

Cheers,
Bill

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