Word of the Day

: October 17, 2023

mollycoddle

verb MAH-lee-kah-dul

What It Means

When you mollycoddle someone, you are treating that person with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence or attention.

// The newborn cub at the wildlife park enjoys being mollycoddled by its mother.

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mollycoddle in Context

“Former Barnsley and Leeds United manager Heckingbottom has never been one to mollycoddle players and he says it is up to the individuals concerned to ensure they are getting the fitness work they need if his attention is dragged elsewhere.” — Stuart Rayner, Yorkshire Post (England), 17 Jan. 2023

Did You Know?

Coddling eggs is delicate business. You need to cook them slowly and gently, keeping the water just below boiling. Given how carefully you need to treat the eggs, it's not surprising that some believe the cooking sense of coddle led to the sense meaning “to treat with excessive care or kindness.” Another source is possible though: the “pamper” coddle may be linked to caudle, a curative drink of yore made usually of warm ale or wine mixed with bread or gruel, eggs, sugar, and spices. Regardless, mollycoddle was formed by combining the “pamper” sense of coddle with Molly, a nickname for Mary. In its earliest known uses in the mid-1800s, mollycoddle was a noun, a disparaging and now-dated synonym of our modern wimp. But in short time, it was being used as the verb you're likely to encounter today.