Dandiprats

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Referring to insignificant or annoying children regarded with mild contempt; describing petty mischief-makers or small troublesome individuals; characterizing young persons who are bothersome yet not seriously harmful
2. Used to denote small, bothersome kids who cause minor annoyances; indicating little rascals or nuisances often found difficult to manage; identifying youthful troublemakers who generate trivial disruptions
3. Expressing disdain for minor and irritating youngsters who lack importance; portraying small, mischievous children who provoke irritation; labeling juvenile offenders or scamps causing minor disorder

Etymology: "Dandiprat" is a noun for a small, mischievous or pestering child, and it is the plural "dandiprats" that appears most often. The word belongs to the Elizabethan and Jacobean period, when it was used with a mix of affection and irritation for young people who were more nuisance than threat. The word is a compound of the same kind as its meaning suggests: a trivial, pert little figure rather than anything grand. Because the word is used in the plural in most surviving examples, the form "dandiprats" is effectively the standard way the noun appears in English texts.

Synonyms: scoundrels, rascals, scamps, miscreants, knaves

Antonyms: gentlemen, heroes, saints, angels, patriots