stroppy
pronunciation
How to pronounce stroppy in British English:
UK [ˈstrɒpi]
How to pronounce stroppy in American English:
US [ˈstrɑpi]
-
- Adjective:
- obstreperous
Word Origin
- stroppy (adj.)
- "rebellious," by 1943, British nautical slang, perhaps a slang mangling of obstreperous. "Sea Passages: A Naval Anthology and Introduction to the Study of English" [1943, Geoffrey Callender] quotes from a letter: Why Nobby should reckon that his raggie should blow the gaff, when there are crushers everywhere, leaves me guessing; but there it is. In the last dog he rounded on me and called me a white rat. I got stroppy and told him he was shooting a line: but all he said was, 'Oh! choke your luff! I'm looking for another oppo you snivelling sand-catcher.' So that looks like paying off. to which Callender adds, "There is nothing in this letter which an active service rating could fail to understand."
Example
- 1. She threatened to get stroppy .
- 2. Don 't get stroppy with me it 's not my fault !
- 3. Twice during the 1970s , a stroppy decade , leftish british politicians tried to turn the monarchy into a nationalised industry .
- 4. And you 'll have to watch the seagulls -- not to mention stroppy shopkeepers !
- 5. If greece is the awkward customer among southern europe 's debtor nations , finland is the stroppy partner among northern creditor nations .