whippersnapper

Etymology

Extension of *whip-snapper (“a cracker of whips”), or perhaps from snipper-snapper. Compare also whipperginnie (“term of abuse for a woman”), late 16th c.

noun

  1. (colloquial, dated) A young and cheeky or presumptuous person.
    Eisenhower thought that the President-elect, his junior by over 25 years, was merely a "young whippersnapper." 2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage

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