grinch en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ɡɹɪnt͡ʃ/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Named after the main character in a children's book by Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957). Coined as early as 1953, the term was initially used for a fictitious bird named the "Beagle-Beaked-Bald-Headed Grinch" in Scrambled Eggs Super!; it became associated with the character in a poem published in the May 1955 issue of Redbook, "The Hoobub and the Grinch". Likely a corruption of grouch.
Meanings
-
(US) A grouch or killjoy.
Here's what they would risk: appearing responsible for higher taxes next year after Obama offered them a deal to extend the Bush-era rates, coming off as grinches for failing to extend unemployment insurance during the holiday season, and the possibility that next year Obama and Democrats will actually hold more leverage in this debate.
2010 December 9, Chris Good, “Will Republicans Scuttle the Tax Cut Deal?”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 04 Jul 2012:
- (derogatory, informal) A person who is aggressively intent on ruining the Christmas holidays for others.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| grinches | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Synonyms
grouch · spoilsport · spoilsport · marplot · killjoy · addle-plot · cold fish · grouch · wet rag · buzzkill · downer · fun sponge · sourpuss · killjoy · stick in the mud · miserabilist · wet blanket · party-pooper · dampener · joy killer · curmudgeon · grinch
wikipedia: Dr. Seuss · wikipedia: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! · wikipedia: Redbook · wikipedia: Scrambled Eggs Super!