Monday morning quarterback

noun

, Informal.

1. a person who criticizes the actions or decisions of others after the fact, using hindsight to assess situations and specify alternative solutions.

Monday morning quarterback

noun

1. informal.
   a person who criticizes or suggests alternative courses of action from a position of hindsight after the event in question

Other Words From

• Monday morning quarterbacking noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Monday morning quarterback¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Idioms and Phrases

A person who criticizes or passes judgment from a position of hindsight, as in Ethel was a Monday-morning quarterback about all the personnel changes in her department—she always claimed to have known what was going to happen . This expression, first recorded in 1932, alludes to fans who verbally “replay” Sunday's football game the next day, the quarterback being the team member who calls the plays.