milquetoast noun [milk-tohst]
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated: a milquetoast who's afraid to ask for a raise.
Caspar Milquetoast
I've really never fit the definition, but there WAS a time in my life where I often failed to assert myself. For example, I'd go ahead and eat a steak even if it wasn't cooked how I had ordered. I was once browbeaten by a waitress for objecting to being served stale donuts (that day and for quite a few previously) when I could see they had a new, fresh batch on the counter. Not now; in situations such as that, the employee waiting on the customer needs to realize that while their boss might sign their checks, the customer pays their salary. I certainly wouldn't allow that old biddy waitress to talk to me that way. The only comfort I have about the incident is she's probably been dead for 20 yrs., the old "witch".
No, I'm not Caspar (the friendly) Milquetoast these days.
(NOTE: This was originally from several yrs. back, but I wanted to update it and add a little personal information. It WAS today's Word of the Day, though)
2 comments:
Never heard of this til now :)
I don't think it's in use much these days.
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