Dandyprat

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a small, conceited, or impertinent young boy who acts above his station
2. A slightly contemptuous name for a young lad who is showy, vain, and overly full of himself
3. Refers to a little fellow, often a boy, who puts on airs and behaves with affected self-importance

Etymology: "Dandyprat" is an alternative form of "dandiprat," and what makes the word striking is that it was once a name for a coin. Dandiprats were small, low-value coins in Tudor England, and the word was applied to a small, insignificant person, much as a child might be called a little nobody. Only later did it come to mean a pert, self-important young boy. The "dandy" element and the "prat" element are the sort of pieces that tempt guesses, but the word's history is best understood as a single unit that drifted in meaning, from the metal to the child it was used to belittle. Its variant spelling "dandyprat" simply shows the same word written with a different ending.

Synonyms: urchin, brat, whippersnapper, scamp

Antonyms: adult