Meanings
plural moaning Minnies
- 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 - historicalslangAn air raid siren.
- 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).
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
moaning Minnie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moaning%20Minnie
“moaning Minnie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moaning%20Minnie. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “moaning Minnie,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moaning%20Minnie.
Source: moaning Minnie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.