nothingburger
Part of speech: noun
adj
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: The noun is derived from nothing (pronoun, noun) + -burger (suffix forming names of hamburgers served in buns with the addition of specified foodstuffs, or with foodstuffs in place of the usual meat), a metaphorical reference to a burger missing a patty—its most significant component. The word was apparently coined by the American gossip columnist Louella Parsons (1881–1972) in her widely syndicated daily column “Louella’s Move-Go-’Round” of June 1, 1953: see the quotation.
The adjective is derived from the noun.
Base: nothing
Affixes: -burger
Inflected forms:
form: nothingburgers
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: nothing-burger
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: nothing burger
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: nothing-burger
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: nothing burger
pos: adj
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: An unimportant person; a nobody, a nonentity.
pos: noun
tags: informal
examples: After all, if it hadn’t been for Sam[uel] Goldwyn Farley [Granger] might very well be a nothingburger. However, I have a hunch this whole arrangement is on a friendly basis.
I've had two fantastic mothers—one a hero who flew planes—and I turned out to be just a big nothingburger with no courage at all.
gloss: Something of less importance than its treatment suggests; also, something which is bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact.
pos: noun
tags: informal
examples: She [Anne Gorsuch Burford] calls NACOA [the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere] a "joke" and a "nothingburger," whatever that is. Nothing I could say could more graphically demonstrate the contempt she has shown, and will continue to show again, for public service in general and for environmental protection in particular.
Except for Easter, isn't March kind of a nothingburger (unless your birthday is in it!) month? Shall we try to make it memorable?
Browner admitted that the new policies would have no impact […] Kaufman […] called Browner's announcement "a nothingburger."
That's how ugly she was—ugly by virtue of the fact that she was unmemorable, a slab of alabaster awaiting a sculptor who never arrived, a "nothing burger" if there ever was one.
[A]s Lee Gomes of The Wall Street Journal noted in a great column last week, the announcement was "a model for how well-known companies can make a major media event out of a nothingburger."
This 2005 Donald Trump tax return is a total nothingburger [title]
The two shake hands and Jones is asked: "What do you think is going to happen this week with the whole Russia thing?" Jones responds: "The Russia thing is just a big nothing burger."
If the [Donald] Trump Jr. meeting was a "nothingburger" because President [Donald] Trump didn't know about it, then a future revelation that Trump did know about Russia collusion might force his defenders to admit he did something wrong. If the Trump Jr. meeting was a "nothingburger" because it didn't lead anywhere, then a future revelation that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government in a more substantive, sustained way would be hard to dismiss.
gloss: A matter of no concern, especially one that had been of concern; a non-issue.
pos: noun
tags: informal
examples: The forecasted megastorm turned out to be a huge nothingburger.
gloss: Of less importance than its treatment suggests; insignificant, unimportant; also, bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact.
pos: adj
tags: informal
not-comparable
examples: Well, I think better a splendid fake than those little-bitty, itsy-poo nothing burger gold dinkies you wear only because they're real.
There are some good pictures here but the Brand-X reproduction and nothingburger design reduces the overall look to a clutter […]
For years you have touted anemic nothing[-]burger cars because they "cornered" and "handled." Now the Corvette comes along and blows them into the weeds, and you cannot bring yourselves to give credit where it is due.
I don't know anything about the offices of tycoons and moguls […] I just know about small busy squares or rectangles with computers, word processors, files and telephones, gray, beige or brown really nothingburger desks.
You can help me figure out why a pro like you, who looks to've spent time in some serious places, is babysitting Charlie Pundo's nothingburger baby-raping turd of a son.
Related words: shit sandwich
where's the beef
Derived words: somethingburger
Translations: