addle-plot

addle-plot

English

Alternative forms

  • addleplot

Etymology

From addle (“to muddle, to ruin”) +‎ plot (“plan”). In earliest use as a character name in Love for Money by Thomas d'Urfey in 1691. Compare marplot.

Noun

addle-plot (plural addle-plots)

  1. (archaic, idiomatic) Synonym of spoilsport, one who ruins other's plans or enjoyment of something.
    • 2008, Georgette Heyer, Lady of Quality, page 13:
      'Never shall it be said of me that I'm an addle-plot, I promise you! I collect that you are going to visit a friend, or perhaps a relation?'
    • 2023, Richard Milward, Man-Eating Typewriter, page 38:
      ... fash bats and sharpering-omis were after us, those evil eagle-eeked addle-plots who cruised the city.

References

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.