moaning Minnie

noun

A person who moans; a peevish complainer.

Similar
screaming meemie
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Meanings

nounmoaning Minnie (plural moaning Minnies)

plural moaning Minnies

  1. slangA person who moans; a peevish complainer.

    Don't you think that's the way to persuade more companies to come to this region and get more jobs—because I want them—for the people who are unemployed? Not always standing there as moaning minnies. Now stop it!

    1985, Margaret Thatcher, remarks to Tyne Tees TV (11 September 1985) http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=106127
  2. historicalslangAn air raid siren.
  3. historicalslangA noisy rocket artillery piece (after 1944, the German Nebelwerfer).

    Synonyms: screaming meemie

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA noisy rocket artillery piece (after 1944, the German Nebelwerfer).

Similar
screaming meemie
Also see
screaming meemie

Origin

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 (28 November 2022), “Moaning Minnie”, in Phrases.org.UK, retrieved 29 Nov 2022.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

moaning Minnie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moaning%20Minnie

MLA

“moaning Minnie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moaning%20Minnie. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “moaning Minnie,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moaning%20Minnie.

Source: moaning Minnie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.