macaroni philosopher
- noun
- /ˌmækəˈroʊni fəˈlɑːsəfər/
- Offensive
:
filósofo de salón (despectivo, anticuado)
- He was criticized as a macaroni philosopher whose ideas never left the drawing board.
Examples
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Her friends called her a macaroni philosopher because she talked more than she did.
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Don't be a macaroni philosopher; the world needs people who take real steps.
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Don't be such a macaroni philosopher! Take action!
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He is a macaroni philosopher.
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He was criticized as a macaroni philosopher whose ideas never left the drawing board.
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Her friends called her a macaroni philosopher because she talked more than she did.
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Don't be a macaroni philosopher; the world needs people who take real steps.
Synonyms
3
8.7
A person who works with ideas and rules rather than practical tasks
1
9.4
A person who thinks deeply about basic questions of life
A person who makes ideas to explain things in science or art
A person who thinks about the deeper meaning of things
How Practical
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is partly derivable: combining 'macaroni' (an ostentatious dandy) with 'philosopher' suggests a showy or superficial thinker, which points toward impractical theorizing. However, the historical/cultural sense of 'macaroni' is archaic and the evaluative sense 'indulges in theorizing without practical action' is somewhat language-specific and not fully predictable, so a B1 learner would likely need prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase macaroni philosopher comes from an old nickname macaroni for a very showy, fashionable person and philosopher for a thinker; imagine a fancy-dressed person who talks about big ideas but never acts. So, it means someone who loves 'theorizing' but is not practical.