Etymology Journal · Y
You little troublemaker
Meaning
- An affectionate way to call out someone for being mischievous or prone to causing mild chaos. It is usually said with a grin rather than actual anger.
Playful, affectionate
Used in a sentence
- I saw you hiding the remote again you little troublemaker.
- So you are the one who ate the frosting off the cupcakes you little troublemaker.
- Stop teasing your sister you little troublemaker or we are going home.
The backstory
This is a common English idiomatic combination of a gentle diminutive and a label for a prankster. It evolved naturally from parents noticing their children behaving like tiny agents of entropy.
Heard in
Nationwide
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