gutless wonder

English

Pronunciation

Audio (General Australian): (file)

Noun

gutless wonder (plural gutless wonders)

(slang, derogatory, idiomatic) One who lacks guts or courage; a coward.
- 1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XII, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 125:
  What in the hell was wrong with him, anyway. Just a gutless wonder - nothing more or less.
- 1993, Archie Weller, Going Home‎^[1]:
  Yer can't even fight unless you've got a knife or picket or broken bottle, yer gutless wonder.

Usage notes

The idea is that the addressee's figurative gutlessness (cowardice) has been carried over into physical gutlessness (disembowelment), and that his bowel-less survival is a wonder.

Synonyms

See also Thesaurus:coward