weak sister

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

weak sister (plural weak sisters)

1. (chiefly US, idiomatic, derogatory) A person who is cowardly or indecisive.
   • 1964, "Political Thriller" (film review of Seven Days in May), Time, Feb. 21:

     "Your course of action this past year has bordered on criminal negligence," he barks to the man whose job he means to take. "You're a weak sister, Mr. President."

2. (chiefly US, idiomatic) A person or thing which is the least robust or least dependable member of a group.
   • 1991 May 20, Larry Reibstein, “A Mexican Miracle?”, in Newsweek:

     San Antonio has always been viewed as the weak sister of the big regional centers of Houston and Dallas.

Synonyms

• (least robust of a group): sick man

See also

• weakest link

References

• “weak sister”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• awestrikes