English

Noun

chinless wonder ‎(plural chinless wonders)

1. (Britain, derogatory) An ineffectual upper-class male, typically dim-witted and with a weak or indecisive character, frequently one who gained his position via nepotism or other social connections.

   1948, (Please provide the title of the work), volume 31, page 18:

   This was probably the most insufferable social event of a very dull season. The bride blushingly gave her age as forty-two, but the old battle-axe could have been an eye-witness to the San Francisco Fire. At long last, little Dagmar's folks have got her married off to Morty, the chinless wonder. He couldn't hold down a job as grocery clerk, and will be manager of father-in-law's wholesale grocery firm.

   1967, The Assistant Librarian, volume 60–61, page 24:

   She is thin, starved to near perfection […] He, a chinless wonder, a credit to Carnaby Street; they stand hand in hand before the enquiry desk

   1979, The Spectator, volume 243, number 1, page 25:

   [Actor] John Harding personified the idle spirit of the times as a tennis-possessed chinless wonder.

Usage notes

The 'wonder' part of the term may be replaced with an offensive word to greaten the insult.

Synonyms

• upper-class twit

References

1. ↑ "chinless", Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms, 2009