little terror
1
7.2
- noun
- Informal
:
pequeño diablillo
- How's the little terror?
Examples
-
So what happens when a male baby has two of the little terrors?
Fiction book (1994) -
A little pain, a little terror.
-
"You are a little terror."
Fiction book (1992) -
She's a little terror, always disappearing on me.
Blog text (12) -
The little girl is a real little terror, always getting into trouble at school.
-
Every time I turn around, that little terror is up to something mischievous.
-
My nephew is such a little terror; he keeps playing pranks on everyone.
Synonyms
168
4.6
A child who behaves badly and annoys others
36
7.3
A child who causes trouble and is hard to control
4
9.5
A child or young person who is noisy and badly behaved
3
8.9
A child who is very naughty and hard to control
1
8.2
A small child who makes trouble in a playful way
1
9.9
A person, often young and successful, who shocks and embarrasses others
Antonyms
How Naughty
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a child who behaves very badly' is directly derived from combining 'little' (young/small) with 'terror' (a person who causes trouble or fear). This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition following normal English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase little terror paints a picture of a small child who causes a lot of trouble. The word little shows small size and terror shows the strong trouble they cause, so it means 'a child who behaves very badly'.