tenderfoot

tenderfoot
tenderfoot (n.) 1866, American English, originally of newcomers to ranching or mining districts, from TENDER (Cf. tender) (adj.) + FOOT (Cf. foot). The U.S. equivalent of what in Great Britain was generally called a greenhand. As a level in Boy Scouting, it is recorded from 1908.
Among the Indians, more than half of every sentence is expressed by signs. And miners illustrate their conversation by the various terms used in mining. I have always noticed how clearly these terms conveyed the idea sought. Awkwardness in comprehending this dialect easily reveals that the hearer bears the disgrace of being a "pilgrim," or a "tender-foot," as they style the new emigrant. ["A Year in Montana," "Atlantic Monthly," August 1866]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Tenderfoot — Ten der*foot , n. 1. A delicate person; one not inured to the hardship and rudeness of pioneer life. [Slang, Western U. S.] [1913 Webster] 2. See {Boy scout}. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tenderfoot — index neophyte Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • tenderfoot — [n] newcomer amateur, beginner, colt*, greenhorn*, Johnny come lately*, neophyte, new kid on the block*, novice, novitiate, rookie, tyro; concepts 413,423 …   New thesaurus

  • tenderfoot — ☆ tenderfoot [ten′dər foot΄ ] n. pl. tenderfoots or tenderfeet 1. a newcomer to the ranching and mining country of the West, unused to the hardships of the life 2. any newcomer, novice, or beginner 3. a beginner in the Boy Scouts …   English World dictionary

  • Tenderfoot — A tenderfoot is slang for an inexperienced person.Tenderfoot may also refer to: * One of the ranks in the Boy Scouts of America * A guest at a dude ranch, also known as a dude …   Wikipedia

  • tenderfoot — UK [ˈtendə(r)ˌfʊt] / US [ˈtendərˌfʊt] noun [countable] Word forms tenderfoot : singular tenderfoot plural tenderfoots or tenderfeet American informal someone who is not experienced and is doing something for the first time …   English dictionary

  • tenderfoot — Boy scout Boy scout Orig., a member of the Boy Scouts, an organization of boys founded in 1908, by Sir R. S. S. Baden Powell, to promote good citizenship by creating in them a spirit of civic duty and of usefulness to others, by stimulating their …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tenderfoot — noun (plural tenderfeet; also tenderfoots) Date: 1849 1. a newcomer in a comparatively rough or newly settled region; especially one not hardened to frontier or outdoor life 2. an inexperienced beginner ; novice < a political tenderfoot > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • tenderfoot — noun (C) AmE informal 1 someone who has just arrived at a place where life is much harder than they are used to 2 an inexperienced beginner: a political tenderfoot …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Tenderfoot Lodge - Unit 2602 — (Кистон,США) Категория отеля: 4 звездочный отель Адрес: 22784 US Highwa …   Каталог отелей

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