weak sister

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a vacillating person; coward.

2. a part or element that undermines the whole of something; a weak link.

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weak sister British  

noun

1. informal a person in a group who is regarded as weak or unreliable

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Etymology

Origin of weak sister

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

weak sister

Fear is a very weak sister and, yes, they really should get rid of those brooding teenagers and maybe Travis too.

From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2016

Started two years ago to give the fast-growing News-Free Press a run for its money, the evening Times remained a weak sister.

From Time Magazine Archive

Someone suggested that he could buy the down-at-the-heels New York Yankees, weak sister of the American League, for $450,000.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, once the weak sister of the Coast, has been pulling out of the red under Roosevelt Son-in-Law John Boettiger, will make enough in 1939 to offset 1938's losses.

From Time Magazine Archive

Something he said, too, of a weak sister tottering to its base, only to be followed in its ruin by the speedy prostration of its elder brother.

From The Vicar of Bullhampton by Trollope, Anthony