munchkin

plural munchkins

1. informalA child.

   Picture this: your child begins his first day of group childcare, and he is suddenly surrounded by other munchkins his age […]

   2006, Michelle LaRowe, Nanny to the Rescue!: Straight Talk & Super Tips for Parenting in the Early Years, Thomas Nelson, published 2006, →ISBN, page 124

2. informalA person of very short stature.

   It'll also have a keyboard configured for a munchkin (...)

   2009 August 25, Jonathan Salem Baskin, “Will Nokia's Next Chapter Be Kitchen Blenders?”, in InformationWeek's Digital Life Weblog

   Synonyms: dwarf, lilliputian, pygmy, tiddler

3. Alternative letter-case form of Munchkin (“domestic cat breed”).
4. roleplaying gamesA player who mainly concentrates on increasing their character's power and capabilities.

   You ARE a munchkin if .. you roll 4d6 and keep *all four*

   1997 January 31, Bill Wilson via Wildwood, “For those who are new... The Munchkin File!”, in rec.games.frp.dnd (Usenet)

   4 more examples

   Doesn't anybody recognize humor anymore, or have our faces gone completely stiff from thinking about good vs. evil or character balance or munchkin-zapping?

   1989 October 5, Hwang Tsong-Wen, “Bandwidth Wasters Hall of Fame for rec.games.frp”, in rec.games.frp (Usenet)

   Munchkinism is similar to "Monty Haul" gaming; however it involves playing at incredible power levels purely for the sake of watching the terrain get blown away by player characters who are unstoppable. Munchkinism also involves "rules rape," wherein players milk every advantage out of the rules. Often a munchkin will carry a favorite character from game to game, usually with the maximum allowable ability scores, skill ratings, etc - and enough hardware/magic to destroy the planet four times over.

   1993 February 22, Magnus, “What is Munchkinism? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with roleplaying games?”, in news.answers (Usenet)

   younger gamers of a power-oriented mindset .. an immature power-gamer who has +10 Swords of Slay Anything for wallpaper. It derives from those Oz denizines, Munchkins, to young gamers who often go in for hack'n'slash Monty Hauls, to anyone who seems more concerned with Winning (usually by killing anything that stands in his path) than with playing a game with other people.

   1995 June 14, Phil Masters, Elizabeth McCoy, “What does the term 'munchkin' refer to?”, in rec.games.frp.gurps (Usenet)

   There are many different answers, but here's mine: A munchkin is someone who's chiefly concerned with "playing to win" - which might be quite appropriate in a game of checkers, but can be very annoying in a roleplaying game.

   2001 March 7, "Caldera OpenLinux User", “Re: what's a munchkin ?”, in alt.games.baldurs-gate (Usenet)

5. informalslangSynonym of donut hole (“ball-shaped pastry”).

   Synonyms: donut hole

6. informalA pet name one used for someone considered adorable, such as a pet, child, or a romantic partner.

plural Munchkins · alternative munchkin

1. A domestic cat breed with short legs.

   Munchkins are in fact one of the Healthiest ^([sic]) of the registered cat breeds.

   1998 December 8, "ferretfriend", “Re: Munchkin cats and how I got mine.”, in alt.pets.cats (Usenet)