superbrat en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From super- + brat. The term came into popular usage around 1979 when the British press branded the young American tennis star John McEnroe "Superbrat", referring to McEnroe's angry responses when a line call went against him.
Meanings
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(derogatory, informal) A bratty superstar, especially one who plays professional sport.
How, she asked herself, could a mature man of such enormous talent sink to the level of behaving like a superbrat?
1990, Una-Mary Parker, Veil of Secrets:...McEnroe's behavior was so outrageous that the British press dubbed him Superbrat and went at him en masse.
1979, The New Yorker, volume 55, page 126:In the off-season, the Cardinals looked on like envious children as the superbrats made the multimillion-dollar moves that still define the game...
2006, Buzz Bissinger, Three Nights in August:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| superbrats | Number=Plur | lexicographic |