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Glite Dictionary
cradle snatcher

cradle snatcher

8.7
A person who dates someone much younger
  • noun
  • /ˈkreɪdəl ˈsnætʃər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : viejo verde
  • Do you think I'm a cradle snatcher?

Examples

  • Some people wrongly judge Anna for being a cradle snatcher due to her young boyfriend.

  • He hated being called a cradle snatcher just because his partner was a decade younger.

  • Many people consider her a cradle snatcher because of her relationship with a much younger man.

Synonyms

cradle robber
vscradle snatcher
  • Offensive
8.8

A person who dates someone much younger than them

is the neutral description without the informal label

Surface Forms

cradle snatcher singular
cradle snatchers plural

Morphology

cradle + snatcher

The constituents 'cradle' (baby/early stage) and 'snatcher' (one who grabs) hint at someone taking from a cradle, so there is a clear metaphorical link to age/giving the idea of taking someone much younger. However, the specific sense 'a person romantically involved with someone much younger' is a culture-specific extension and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so a B1 learner would likely need prior exposure to get the intended idiomatic meaning.

Etymology

Cradle snatcher comes from the image of a snatcher taking a baby from a cradle, a strong picture of taking someone very young. That's why today cradle snatcher means someone who 'dates' or has a relationship with someone 'much younger'.