Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Plural form of
gremlin .
Etymologies
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Examples
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I think my husband and I were for years annoying the fae by blaming their antics on "gremlins" - hidden/missing items you know the drill.
Spoutwood Fairie Festival: Getting It Right Anne Johnson 2009
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A cynic might suspect excess media coaching, but then it's not an easy thing to go on "Today" and discuss your inner "gremlins" -- which Spitzer said he was in the process of confronting, as though he were a cartoon action hero battling malevolent mogwai.
Why is Eliot Spitzer on TV? Because disgrace doesn't stick like it used to. Laura Kipnis 2010
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In the published version of the book, the text refers to the gremlins wearing “green derbys,” or bowler hats, but all the drawings show them in flying helmets.
Storyteller Donald Sturrock 2010
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Many of us like to think that aging is a magical process that happens deep within our bodies; that some so-called gremlins of gerontology ratchet down our cells and our systems so we grow old.
You Staying Young MEHMET C. OZ 2007
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Many of us like to think that aging is a magical process that happens deep within our bodies; that some so-called gremlins of gerontology ratchet down our cells and our systems so we grow old.
You Staying Young MEHMET C. OZ 2007
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Many of us like to think that aging is a magical process that happens deep within our bodies; that some so-called gremlins of gerontology ratchet down our cells and our systems so we grow old.
You Staying Young MEHMET C. OZ 2007
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A: The gremlins are the offspring of a small, cuddly creature given as a Christmas gift.
ScrippsNews 2009
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First, I don't think it was a matter of "gremlins" that lured former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to become Client 9 with $4K-a-night trollop, Ashley Dupre.
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First, I don't think it was a matter of "gremlins" that lured former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to become Client 9 with $4K-a-night trollop, Ashley Dupre.
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First, I don't think it was a matter of "gremlins" that lured former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to become Client 9 with $4K-a-night trollop, Ashley Dupre.
totalk2 commented on the word gremlins
grem?lin??/?gr?ml?n/ Show Spelled Pronunciation grem-lin Show IPA
–noun 1. a mischievous invisible being, said by airplane pilots in World War II to cause engine trouble and mechanical difficulties.
2. any cause of trouble, difficulties, etc.
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Origin:
1925–30; of obscure orig; in its earliest attested use, an RAF term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man assigned the most onerous duties; later development perh. affected by phonetic resemblance to goblin
Synonyms:
1. See goblin.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source |Link To gremlins
grem·lin (gr?m'l?n)
n.
An imaginary gnomelike creature to whom mechanical problems, especially in aircraft, are attributed.
A maker of mischief.
Perhaps blend of Irish gruaimín, bad-tempered little fellow (from Middle Irish gruaim, gloom, surliness) and goblin.
Word History: Elves, goblins, and trolls seem to be timeless creations of the distant past, but gremlins were born in the 20th century. In fact, gremlin is first recorded only in the 1920s, as a Royal Air Force term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man saddled with oppressive assignments. Said to have been invented by members of the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I, gremlin is used in works written in the 1940s for "an imaginary gnomelike creature who causes difficulties in aircraft." The word seems likely to have been influenced by goblin, but accounts of its origin are various and none are certain. One source calls in Fremlin beer bottles to explain the word; another, the Irish Gaelic word gruaimín, "ill-humored little fellow." Whatever the word's origin, it is certain that gremlins have taken on a life of their own.
May 27, 2009
totalk2 commented on the word gremlins
from Dictionary.com
grem?lin??/?gr?ml?n/ Show Spelled Pronunciation grem-lin Show IPA
–noun 1. a mischievous invisible being, said by airplane pilots in World War II to cause engine trouble and mechanical difficulties.
2. any cause of trouble, difficulties, etc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Origin:
1925–30; of obscure orig; in its earliest attested use, an RAF term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man assigned the most onerous duties; later development perh. affected by phonetic resemblance to goblin
Synonyms:
1. See goblin.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source |Link To gremlins
grem·lin (gr?m'l?n)
n.
An imaginary gnomelike creature to whom mechanical problems, especially in aircraft, are attributed.
A maker of mischief.
Perhaps blend of Irish gruaimín, bad-tempered little fellow (from Middle Irish gruaim, gloom, surliness) and goblin.
Word History: Elves, goblins, and trolls seem to be timeless creations of the distant past, but gremlins were born in the 20th century. In fact, gremlin is first recorded only in the 1920s, as a Royal Air Force term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man saddled with oppressive assignments. Said to have been invented by members of the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I, gremlin is used in works written in the 1940s for "an imaginary gnomelike creature who causes difficulties in aircraft." The word seems likely to have been influenced by goblin, but accounts of its origin are various and none are certain. One source calls in Fremlin beer bottles to explain the word; another, the Irish Gaelic word gruaimín, "ill-humored little fellow." Whatever the word's origin, it is certain that gremlins have taken on a life of their own.
May 27, 2009