petit maître en · NOUN
Etymology
From French petit-maître.
Meanings
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(archaic) A fop or dandy.
The unfortunate petit maitre, driven to the extremity of his condescension, acknowledged it to be a masterly refinement […].
1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:
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(derogatory) A lesser master of something, especially of some artistic skill; a minor talent.
Monstrous critical overkill of an even more up-market kind has transformed the Argentinian petit maître, Borges, into one of the Great Writers of our Time and his most recent collection, The Book of Sand […] shows signs that he is content humbly to acquiesce in this opinion.
1979, Angela Carter, “Latin Rhythms”, in Shaking a Leg, Vintage, published 2013, page 563:The point of this survey is to present Calder as a giant of modernism instead of a petit-maître of whimsical toys.
2015 November 15, Laura Cumming, The Guardian:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| petits maîtres | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
dike · macaroni · Jemmy-Jessamy · puss-gentleman · beau · macaroni · pretty boy · petit maître · gallant · barbermonger · jetter · spark · dude · popinjay · fribble · foretop · blood · buck · masher · dandy · toff · carpet knight · blade · mignon · tippy · fine gentleman · go · spiff · swell · smart · fop · jack-a-dandy · metrosexual · dudelet · prig · cockscomb · fast man · popinjay · exquisite · fashionable · dood
Translations (1)
ru петиметр (Translations)