namby-pamby

 
Pronunciation: /nambɪˈpambi/
derogatory

adjective

  • lacking energy, strength, or courage; weak or ineffectual: namby-pamby liberals

noun (plural namby-pambies)

  • a weak or ineffectual person: he was a good boy, a namby-pamby, who kept the place assigned to him

Origin:

mid 18th century: fanciful formation based on the given name of Ambrose Philips (died 1749), an English writer whose pastorals were ridiculed by Pope and others