Meaning of Herbert | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A working-class youth, especially male.
   slang
2. A male given name from the Germanic languages, in modern use partly transferred back from the surname.
3. A foolish or contemptible person, especially male.
   slang
4. A surname originating as a patronymic.
5. A small town in North Otago, New Zealand.
6. A rural locality in Litchfield Municipality, Northern Territory, Australia.
7. A former government town in South Australia.
8. A town in the Rural Municipality of Morse No. 165, Saskatchewan, Canada.
9. An unincorporated community in Boone County, Illinois, United States.

Equivalents

Examples

“Herbert, Sydney, Milton, Seymour. You know⟳, all the time I was growing up I thought those were the most ordinary Jewish first names, until someone pointed out that they were British last⟳ names. I guess⟳ to my great-grandparents those names must have⟳ sounded so modern, so sophisticated, so - non-Eastern European. And now they're just Uncle Miltie, Uncle Sy, Uncle Herb. Do other people have⟳ Uncle Donne and Uncle Wordsworth?”

“To be clear what we're talking about, read⟳ Cronon's piece. He offers a great introduction to the concept, and its originator, Herbert Butterfield.”

“And you, Sir Walter Herbert, stay⟳ with me.”

“It was the Ulster Annual Jamboree. For weeks past, hundreds of spotty-faced herberts, with yodelling voices and chin fuzz, had tied three million knots, started ten thousand twig fires, and completed six hundred leaf fires; perfect training for round about 3000BC but bloody useless in the twentieth century.”

“[…] everything was busy now with the usual mix⟳ of herberts, and because this was Brunel University there was a lot of students, the sort⟳ who wouldn't normally go see⟳ a punk band […]”

“Because of my appearance, I was accosted by a couple of spotty herberts on the way […]”

“I was a proto-hippy in '66 - '67 and by about August '67 the bandwagon jumpers, the media and all manner of assorted herberts had turned up to spoil⟳ everything.”

“Into this haunted house stumble a couple of modern-day herberts, Alison and Mike (Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe). They have⟳ inherited Button Hall after the last⟳ of the Button family died. When they arrive⟳ to take⟳ stock⟳ of the place⟳, the unseen ghosts mill around the couple in the great hall - and some don't like⟳ what they see⟳. "She's exposing her knees! And she's got a tattoo! exclaims the buttoned-up Edwardian Lady Button.”

“For quotations using this term, see⟳ Citations:herbert.”

CEFR level