Humpty Dumpty

humpty-dumpty English thumb|250px|Humpty Dumpty upon his wall Etymology Possibly baby talk forms of en Humphrey, since en Dump and en Dumphrey have been recorded as pet forms of this given name. E.G.Withycombe: The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. Oxford University Press 1971. Humpty Dumpty#Meaning Various suggestions have been offered for the original meaning of the nursery rhyme, chiefly concerning the English Civil War, although none has received general acceptance- modern scholars believe it may have been intended to be a riddle, with the answer of "an egg". Proper noun 1 A nursery rhyme character who falls from a wall and breaks irreparably in the manner of an egg; en figurative by extension, anything similarly fragile, irreparably damaged, or insecure, precariously at risk of such irreparable damage. en 1907 Annie van Sommer; et al Our Moslem Sisters... 210 ... she sits perched high up, astride a man's saddle, looking in her balloon garments, and doubtless feeling, more insecure than Humpty Dumpty on the wall. en 2009 Philip Kennedy A Modern Introduction to Theology: New Questions for Old Beliefs For many people, traditional Christian theology is a Humpty-Dumpty: it has tumbled from its perch and can't be put together again. Derived terms en Humpty Dumptyish en Humpty Dumptyism en Humpty Dumpty word Related terms en humpty Translations fairy tale character Arabic: ar هَمْبْتِي دَمْبْتِي m Finnish: fi Lilleri Lalleri, fi Tyyris Tyllerö, fi Nokkelis Kokkelis German: de Humpty Dumpty m, de Goggelmoggel m Irish: ga Filimín Failimín m Italian: it Humpty Dumpty, it Unto Dunto, it Tombolo Dondolo Navajo: nv Hą́ą́bídíí dąbidíí Russian: ru Шалта́й-Болта́й m Swedish: sv Humpty Dumpty Noun - 1 en obsolete A Romani drink of ale boiled with brandy. References en reduplications rhyming compounds en Alcoholic beverages Fairy tale characters