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niminy-piminy

 
Dictionary: nim·i·ny-pim·i·ny
(nĭm'ə-nē-pĭm'ə-nē) pronunciation
adj.
Affectedly delicate or refined; mincing.

[Perhaps alteration of NAMBY-PAMBY.]


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Wordsmith Words: niminy-piminy
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(NIM-uh-nee PIM-uh-nee)

adjective
Affectedly delicate or refined.

Etymology
Origin uncertain; probably alteration of namby-pamby

We do know where the term namby-pamby came from - from the name of poet Ambrose Philips (1674-1749). His contemporary literary rivals, poets Henry Carey, John Gay, Alexander Pope, and Jonathan Swift poked fun at him and Carey coined namby-pamby from his name: amby after first syllable of Ambrose and rhyming compound pamby after Philips.
-piminy

Usage
"'I detest rude, unladylike girls!' 'I hate affected, niminy-piminy chits!'" — Louisa May Alcott; Little Women; 1868. "'We have far too much niminy-piminy music,' wrote W.R. Anderson in The Gramophone; music 'afraid to let itself go, or having nowhere to go if it did'." — Geoff Brown; Classical Collector; The Times (London, UK); Mar 21, 2000.


WordNet: niminy-piminy
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective has one meaning:

Meaning #1: affectedly dainty or refined
  Synonyms: dainty, mincing, prim, twee


 
 
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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more

 

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