Word of the Day

: December 21, 2008

wisenheimer

noun WYE-zun-hye-mer

What It Means

: smart aleck

wisenheimer in Context

"Everybody's a comedian," quipped Lisa, unperturbed, when some wisenheimer in the back row interrupted her speech with a clever comment.

Did You Know?

We wouldn't joke around about the origin of this witty word. In the early 20th century, someone had the smart idea to combine the adjective "wise" (one sense of which means "insolent, smart-alecky, or fresh") with "-enheimer," playing on the pattern of family names such as "Oppenheimer" and "Guggenheimer." Of course, "wisenheimer" isn't the only “wise-" word for someone who jokes around. There's also "wiseacre," "wisecracker," "wise guy," and “wisehead.” All of these jokesters are fond of making "wisecracks."