rip van winkle
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The title character in a story by Washington Irving: A fictional man who falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains and wakes up 20 years later to find the world greatly changed.
- A person who sleeps a lot: A humorous or critical term for someone who sleeps for very long periods.
- A person oblivious to social changes: Someone who is unaware of or has not adapted to significant changes in society, culture, or technology.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- In Washington Irving's tale, Rip Van Winkle awakens to a world he no longer understands.
- Don't be such a Rip Van Winkle; you've been asleep for twelve hours!
- My grandfather is a bit of a Rip Van Winkle when it comes to smartphones; he still uses a flip phone.
Advanced Usage
- Used as a cultural reference: The name is used to symbolize a person who is dramatically out of touch with the present due to a period of isolation or inattention.
- After his decade abroad, he felt like a modern Rip Van Winkle returning to his hometown.
Variants and Related Words
- Rip Van Winkle-ish (adjective, informal): Having the qualities of Rip Van Winkle; being out of date or prone to long sleep.
- His Rip Van Winkle-ish knowledge of pop culture is charming.
Synonyms
- Sleeper: A person who sleeps.
- Fogy/Fogey: A person with old-fashioned ideas.
- Anachronism: A person or thing that is chronologically out of place.
Related Idioms
- To pull a Rip Van Winkle: To sleep for an exceptionally long time or to be completely unaware of recent events.
- I pulled a Rip Van Winkle this weekend and slept until noon both days.
Noun
- the title character in a story by Washington Irving about a man who sleeps for 20 years and doesn't recognize the world when he wakens
- a person who sleeps a lot
- a person oblivious to social changes