Walter Mitty

n.
An ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs.

[After the main character in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber.]

(wol-tuhr MIT-ee)

noun
An ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs.

Etymology
After the main character in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber.

Usage
"The men you see rolling over the zoysia at 5 miles per hour are pretending to be Mario Andretti at Indianapolis. Nothing draws Walter Mitty from a soul like the sound of a riding lawn mower engine." — Rheta Grimsley Johnson, Roar of the mower helps build a woman's psyche, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, May 1, 1998.

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A person, generally quite ordinary or ineffectual, who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs. For example, He's a Walter Mitty about riding in a rodeo but is actually afraid of horses. This term comes from James Thurber's short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1939), describing just such a character.

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The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: fictional character created by James Thurber who daydreams about his adventures and triumphs

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