Dictionary

sweet summer child en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

As an idiomatic phrase, apparently from the fantasy novel A Game of Thrones (1996) by George R. R. Martin, although isolated prior occurrences of the phrase go back to the 1800s. In the novel, a young boy is called a "sweet summer child" by an old woman, since seasons last for years in the novel's world and he has yet to experience winter. Later popularized by its use in the episode "Lord Snow" (2011) of the television adaptation Game of Thrones.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, often, sarcastic) Someone who is naive, or who has never experienced hardship.
   • Don't think people have tried to put Mario games in order? Oh sweet summer child. 2015 February 19, Christopher Castano, “Out Of Control”, in The Georgetown Voice, Georgetown University, page 10:
   • "Starts?" I hear you cry, "How can it get any weirder than that?". Oh, my sweet summer children, what George wants me to do while he licks my feet clean is take pictures and humiliate him. 2019, Dee Dickens, Duct Tape and Daddy Issues: Phone-Sex Worker Tells All, unnumbered page:
   • It can't be worse than "X-Men: The Last Stand," can it? Oh, sweet summer child. It can always get worse…especially in Hollywood. 2019 October 24, Jared Rasic, “Film Shorts”, in Source Weekly, page 34:

Forms

Relateds

wet behind the ears

Synonyms

ingenue · babe in the woods · naif · innocent

wikipedia: Lord Snow · wikipedia: Game of Thrones · wikipedia: A Game of Thrones · wikipedia: George R. R. Martin