Blimp

See also: blimp

English

Etymology

From Colonel Blimp, a comic character created by David Low and first appearing in London's Evening Standard in April 1934.

Noun

Blimp (plural Blimps)

1. (humorous) A person considered similar to Colonel Blimp in appearance, thought, or expression, particularly (historical or archaic, derogatory) a reactionary middle-class Englishman during the Interwar Period.
   • 1941, George Orwell, The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius, Part I:

     One was the military and imperialist middle class, generally nicknamed the Blimps, and the other the left-wing intelligentsia.

Usage notes

Although Low's portrayal of Colonel Blimp was broad and somewhat affectionate, Blimp's muddle-headed thinking and bombastic pronouncements meant that this term was chiefly applied to jingoists and Tories by Labour voters, Socialists, etc.