English Explanatory Dictionary

moaning Minnie

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A person who moans; a peevish complainer.
  2. An air raid siren.
  3. A noisy rocket artillery piece (after 1944, the German Nebelwerfer).

Pronunciation

En-au-moaning Minnie.ogg

Word forms

moaning Minnie moaning Minnies

Etymology

Possibly from the French name Minié (for a soft lead bullet) or the German Minenwerfer, a type of trench mortar (WW I allusions), or simply because of the alliteration of the name with the participial adjective; see Martin, Gary (29 November 2022), “Moaning Minnie”, in Phrases.org.UK, retrieved 29 Nov 2022.

Synonyms

screaming meemie
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