whiz kid
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whiz kid
A person, usually a child or young adult, who is exceptionally skilled or intelligent. He was developing software by the time he was 10 years old—he's a total computer whiz kid. Those whiz kids at the spelling bee are always so impressive to watch. Sarah's the new whiz kid in accounting. She'll help you tackle the budget in no time.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
a ˈwhizz-kid
(also ˈwhiz-kid) (informal) a person who is very good and successful at something, especially at a young age: ‘Who’s the new manager?’ ‘A financial whizz-kid from Harvard Business School.’Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
whiz kid
n. a young whiz. The boss’s new whiz kid doesn’t seem to be doing the job very well.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
whiz kid
An exceptionally intelligent or precociously successful young person. The term is an alteration of Quiz Kids, a popular radio series of the 1940s that much later was revived on television. It involved a panel of five exceptionally bright children who were asked questions sent in by listeners. The current cliché was coined soon afterward and is no longer confined to children. The Economist had it in December 1962: “Critics . . . regard President Kennedy as a quiz kid surrounded by whiz kids.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer