ninny-pinny

English

Adjective

ninny-pinny (comparative more ninny-pinny, superlative most ninny-pinny)

1. (dialectal) Silly, ridiculous, ninnyish.
   • 1902, Henry Hawkes Spink, The Gunpowder Plot and Lord Mounteagle's Letter; […], London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., page 375:

     But the Country's confidence in the Government had to be maintained at all costs; hence the comical, side-glance, slantingdicular, ninny-pinny way in which the "King's Book," for the most part, is drawn up.

   • 1934, Dorothy M'Cleary, “Winter”, in Edward J[oseph] O'Brien, editor, 50 Best American Short Stories: 1915–1939, New York, N.Y.: The Literary Guild of America, Inc., published 1939, page 573:

     They looked so sweet, so innocent, when they were asleep. The girl had little yellow curls — not like these ninny-pinny clipped heads you see nowadays.

   • 1985, Richard P[hillips] Feynman, edited by Edward Hutchings, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character, New York, N.Y., London: W. W. Norton & Company, published 1997, →ISBN, page 140:

     In the second part of the book, they tell you how to crack a safe. There are all kinds of ninny-pinny, dopey things, like "It might be a good idea to try a date for the combination, because lots of people like to use dates."

   • 2000, Wesley E. Hall, Madam President: The War of the Sexes, San Jose, C.A. […]: Writers Club Press, →ISBN, page 133:

     Ah, to be able to bring a pause to this whole mess, to the ninny-pinny men giving useless advice, to the bad news (to the endless briefings on the state of the economy and the ever-worstening crime in the streets).