scaredy-cat

The term is a 20th-century American colloquialism, a classic example of a rhyming compound. The first element, 'scaredy', is a playful, child-friendly alteration of 'scared', softening the direct accusation of fear. The second element, 'cat', is drawn from the long-standing but unfounded stereotype of cats as easily startled creatures. The compound follows a familiar pattern (like 'fraidy-cat' or 'sissy') to create a teasing, mildly insulting label. Its logic relies entirely on this modern, folk-etymological association rather than a classical morphological construction, using rhyme and metaphor to build a vivid image of timidity.

Structure: scaredy (frightened) + cat (animal) - scaredy: An English colloquial alteration of the past participle 'scared', functioning as an adjective-like modifier. - cat: From Old English 'catt', referring to the domestic feline animal, used here metaphorically.