Peter Pan
2
6.2
- noun
- /ˈpiːtər pæn/
- Informal
:
hombre niño
- You see, he's Peter Pan.
Examples
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Growing up in Saratoga, CA, Jen was challenged by great roles like Nana the dog and the crocodile in "Peter Pan."
Blog text (1) -
He called Peter Pan "absolute poppycock."
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Many people describe him as a Peter Pan because he refuses to take on adult responsibilities.
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Her reluctance to commit to any serious relationship made her friends call her a Peter Pan.
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Despite being in his thirties, he acts like a Peter Pan, always avoiding work and responsibilities.
Synonyms
∞
2.8
A person who behaves in a silly or not grown-up way
1
8.4
An adult man who behaves like a child
How Mature
Surface Forms
Morphology
Peter + Pan
The meaning 'a man who remains boyish or refuses to grow up' cannot be inferred from the literal constituent names 'Peter' and 'Pan', which are proper nouns without descriptive semantic contribution. This sense is an eponymous literary reference to J.M. Barrie's character and therefore requires cultural or prior exposure rather than being compositionally derivable.
Etymology
The name Peter Pan used for a man who stays boyish comes from Barrie's character who 'refused to grow up' and lived as a child in Neverland. That's why calling someone a Peter Pan means they avoid adult duties or are 'immature'.