weak-kneed en · ADJ
Meanings
-
(figuratively) Lacking will power or strength of character; timid.
It is incontrovertible that the children grow up into rotten adults, without virility or stamina, a weak-kneed, narrow-chested, listless breed, that crumples up and goes down in the brute struggle for life.
1903, Jack London, chapter 5, in The People of the Abyss:What these teenagers are weighing is at the very heart of Gandhian philosophy: "His absolute insistence on nonviolence, which young men see as pussyfooted and weak-kneed and — dare I say — feminine and hence not macho enough," says Guha, the biographer.
2019 October 2, Lauren Frayer, “Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, But His Attitudes On Race And Sex Are Under Scrutiny”, in NPR:
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see weak, kneed.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most weak-kneed | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more weak-kneed | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| weak in the knees | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (10)
gl miñaxoia (figuratively: having weak knees) · bg малодушен (figuratively: having weak knees) · gl pusilánime (figuratively: having weak knees) · mi turingongengonge (literally: having weak knees) · gl apoucado (figuratively: having weak knees) · gl coitada (figuratively: having weak knees) · bcl lupog (literally: having weak knees) · gl apoucada (figuratively: having weak knees) · gl coitado (figuratively: having weak knees) · mi turipū (literally: having weak knees)