dudelet

English

Etymology

dude +‎ -let

Noun

dudelet (plural dudelets)

1. (archaic, derogatory) An effeminate young man who strives to be fashionable; a dandy.
   • 1903, Ambrose Bierce, “To a Summer Poet”, in Shapes of Clay:

     Yes, the bullfrog is a-croaking And the dudelet is a-smoking

   • 1915, George Hebard Maxwell, Our National Defense: The Patriotism of Peace, →ISBN:

     Do we want a citizen soldiery composed of such men as those who, since 1794, have served in the ranks of the Gordon Highlanders, or composed of such men as the Gardeners of Japan, who wrested Port Arthur from the Russians, or do we want to depend on a national militia of citizen soldiers enrolled from among the pink-cheeked dudelets and mush-faced weaklings from the apartments, flats, and tenements of our congested cities or factory towns, whose highest ambition is to smoke cigarettes, ape a fashion plate, or stand and gape at a baseball score on a bulletin board?

   • 1944, William Cameron, The Day is Coming, page 8:

     Yes — and talking about parasites, my friends, how long will it be before the decent working-men of England tire of the miserable gang of fools, liars and dudelets who had the barefaced impudence to decree that the year 1887 should be one of Jubilation?

2. A young boy, especially one who is fashionable or popular.
   • 1890, William T. Hall, The Turnover Club, page 25:

     At first the dudelet, Taking a dash of ginger in his lemonade ; Then the older dude, with his small salary.

   • 1892, Life - Volume 20, page 348:

     But now and then a dudelet who is new to the ways of the world pauses for a moment at the glittering windows, and is lost.

   • 1998, Newsweek - Volume 131:

     Cyberfolks are already hip to the antics of Dancing Baby — the slightly demonic, diapered dudelet who's been boogalooing all over the Web for months.

3. (archaic) A fashionable young woman.
   • 1883, The Harvard Lampoon - Volume 5, Issue 5, page 42:

     Dude and Dudelet on the beach, Upon the beach so sandy. The Dude, he wooed ; the Dudelet cooed, And nibbled Maillard's candy.

   • 1883, Dio Lewis's Monthly - Volume 1, page 37:

     In marriage, let frivolous and light-minded women gravitate to inferior men; and let the " Dude" mate with the "Dudelet." But I insist that pure and noble women shall be saved from marriage with impure and ignoble men.

Synonyms

• (effeminate man): cockney, pansy, sissy; see also Thesaurus:effeminate man
• (dandy): cockscomb, fribble, popinjay; see also Thesaurus:dandy