goody gumdrops
An expression of happiness or delight, typically from a child. "Goody, goody gumdrops" can also be used. We're going to the beach for the day? Goody gumdrops! Goody, goody gumdrops—Papa brought me a treat! We're off today because of the snow? Goody goody gumdrops!
goody two-shoes
1. adjective (used as a modifier before a noun) Of or having prudish, self-righteous, or rigidly moral standards. Many have been critical of the agency as being nothing but a goody two-shoes organization more concerned with telling people how to behave than serving their best interests. Why do you want to be a hall monitor? It's a goody two-shoes job that annoys everyone. Will the new guy be a goody two-shoes kind of boss, or will he give us a decent amount of freedom?
2. An exceedingly or haughtily prudish, self-righteous, or rigidly moral person; someone who conforms inflexibly to the rules or the law. Mary is such a goody two-shoes, always squealing to the teacher when one of us does something against the rules. Our gang would have control of half the city if that goody two-shoes hadn't somehow gotten himself elected governor. Please, that goody two-shoes will never cut class with us.
goody-goody
1. noun Someone who exclusively follows the rules and caters to authority figures; a teacher's pet. Jill's classmates called her a goody-goody after she volunteered to supervise the class while the teacher was away. Jeff is the resident goody-goody in the office. He brings the boss coffee every day. I bet Timmy told on us—he's such a goody-goody, always ready to tattle on any of the other students he thinks are misbehaving.
2. adjective Self-righteous or sanctimonious. Forget your goody-goody rules and go out on a school night for once! While he makes good points, his goody-goody attitude is not likely to win him many allies. I'm not surprised Molly didn't cut class with us. She'll never abandon her goody-goody ways.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
goody two-shoes
A prudish, self-righteous individual, a goody-goody. For example, Phyllis was a real goody two-shoes, tattling on her friends to the teacher. This expression alludes to the main character of a nursery tale, The History of Goody Two-Shoes (1765), who was so pleased when receiving a second shoe that she kept saying "Two shoes." The goody in the story is short for goodwife but means "goody-goody" in the idiom.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
a goody two-shoes
INFORMALA goody two-shoes is someone who tries to please someone in authority or who never does anything wrong. No child wants to be a goody two-shoes, and this is one way for them to demonstrate that they're not. Note: This expression is used to show disapproval.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
a ˈgoody-goody
, a goody ˈtwo-shoes
(informal, disapproving) a person who behaves very well to please people in authority such as parents or teachers: Don’t be such a goody-goody! ♢ He’s a real goody two-shoes. He’d never do anything that might get him into trouble.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
goody two-shoes
n. someone who tries to behave better than anyone else. (Also a term of address.) I’m no goody two-shoes. I just like to keep my nose clean.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
goody-two-shoes
A self-righteous, smugly virtuous person. The term comes from the title and main character of a nursery tale, The History of Goody Two-Shoes (1765), believed to have been written by Oliver Goldsmith. She owned but a single shoe, and when she was given a pair of shoes she was so delighted that she showed them to everyone, saying, “Two shoes.” Today the term is often shortened to goody-goody, as in “She’s a real goody-goody, always playing up to her boss.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
goody gumdrops
An expression of delight. “Goody gumdrops” and “Goody, goody gumdrops” were popularized in Carl Ed's 1930s Harold Teen cartoon strip, although whether Ed originated the phrases is unclear. “Gumdrops” referred to the candy, and the phrase's connotation was self-consciously cute, as if childish glee.
goody two-shoes
A self-righteous, vain person. The 18th-century children's story, The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes, attributed to Oliver Goldsmith, was a version of Cinderella. The title character, named after an already-established phrase, was an orphan who was so poor, she owned only one shoe. When a rich benefactor gave her a complete set of footwear, she repeated her delighted in having “two shoes.” The phrase “Goody Two-Shoes” developed its negative connotation because the girl subsequently married into money, which cast suspicion on her virtuous nature.
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price