gremlin
nounUK /ˈɡɹɛmlɪn/ · US /ˈɡɹɛmlən/
Etymology
Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * A variant of goblin. * From Irish gruaimín (“gloomy little person”); or from Dutch gremmelen (“to soil, stain; to spoil”), or griemelen, grimmelen (“(obsolete) to abound, teem; to swarm”); but Oxford English Dictionary says there is little evidence for such derivations. The word was popularized, especially in the United States, by the children’s novel The Gremlins (1943) by British author Roald Dahl (1916–1990), in which gremlins sabotage Royal Air Force aircraft in revenge for the destruction of their forest home to make way for an aircraft factory; the creatures later join forces with the British to fight the Nazis.
Aeronautics, Aerospace, Aviation, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Obsolete A contemptible person.
Royal Air Force slang
Aeronautics, Aerospace, Aviation, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences An imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined, for example, to damage or dismantle machinery.
Royal Air Force slang
- Like Abominable Snowmen, gremlins have never actually been seen; but nobody who works with electronic gear doubts the existence of these mischievous and elusive entities. There are too many malfunctions and failures that can have no other explanation.1963, Arthur C Clarke, chapter 8, in Glidepath, New York: Simon and Schuster, pages 72-73:
- Crucial time was saved by the fact Nexus didn't require a Transport & Works Act. Nevertheless, other gremlins kept raising their heads.2023 November 29, Richard Foster, “Tyne & Wear Metro goes with the flow”, in RAIL, number 997, page 34:
Broadly Any mysterious, unknown source of mischief or trouble, or the problem created thereby.
- We rechecked everything, and we suspect gremlins in the database.
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Skateboarding, Sports, Surfing Broadly, Slang A young, inexperienced surfer or skateboarder, regarded as a nuisance.
Broadly A person regarded as similar to a fictional gremlin, in particular: mischievous, troublesome, short, or annoying.
- Rosa, the main character in Tears of Themis, is also very smart, justice-driven, and willing to help. Meanwhile, the Honkai: Star Rail Trailblazer […] can often be a sarcastic, pessimistic, lazy, self-serving, dumpster-diving gremlin. […] That’s absolutely gremlin behavior.2023 May 3, Jenni Lada, “Honkai: Star Rail’s Trailblazer Avatar Is a Gremlin and It’s Great”, in Siliconera, archived from the original on 15 Jan 2024:
- Derived terms
- gremmie, gremmy, gremlinesque, gremlinology, gremlinologist, gremlinous
- Related terms
- ghost in the machine, ghost