airy fairy
See also: airy-fairy
English
editEtymology
editCoined by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in 1830 in his poem Lilian.
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editairy fairy (comparative more airy fairy, superlative most airy fairy)
- (informal, somewhat derogatory) Insubstantial.
- (informal, somewhat derogatory) Impractical.
Quotations
edit- 1830, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Lilian:
- Airy, fairy Lilian,¶ Flitting, fairy Lilian,¶ When I ask her if she love me,¶ Claps her tiny hands above me
References
edit- Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 2010, →ISBN, page 9
Categories:
- English terms coined by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- English coinages
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
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- English informal terms
- English derogatory terms
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- English terms derived from fiction
- English rhyming phrases