Chinless Wonder

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Chinless Wonder : Phrases


A member of the upper classes - usually male.



Despite all that, this appears to be originally an American phrase. The first reference I can find in print is from a 'Mutt and Jeff' cartoon by Bud Fisher, in the New York newspaper The Post-standard, April 1910. This had the title line:

"Mutt starts barbering but doesn't stay - Strange how that chinless wonder hates poor little Jeff."

That doesn't give any indication of the meaning of the phrase, nor unfortunately does the cartoon itself. That meaning is strongly suggested in a piece from The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette in September 1918 though:

"All you want is the Kaiser, ain't it? queried one soldier to a group of friends. How will the crown prince do? Maybe the chinless wonder will make a good souvenir."

Interestingly, this also refers to the lineage of Queen Victoria - the German Kaiser and Crown Prince were her grandson and great-grandson.

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