ninety-day wonder

[ nahyn-tee-dey ]

/ ˈnaɪn tiˌdeɪ /

Save This Word!

noun Informal.

an officer commissioned in a branch of the armed forces after an unusually short training period, especially after a three-months officers' training course during World War II.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ninety-day wonder

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

Words nearby ninety-day wonder

nineteenth man, ninetieth, nine-to-five, Ninette, ninety, ninety-day wonder, ninety-eight, ninety-eighth, ninety-fifth, ninety-first, ninety-five

How to use ninety-day wonder in a sentence

Really, is it any wonder that fluoride should freak people out?
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
I wonder what that lady is doing now, and if she knows what she set in motion with Archer?
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He added: “People say he deserves his day in court… Do we have enough time?”
Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For many years afterward it was a never-ending topic of conversation, and is more or less talked of even to this day.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

“We talked about the science the whole time the other day,” Krauss told The Daily Beast in a phone interview.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The afternoon was a lovely one—the day was a perfect example of the mellowest mood of autumn.
Confidence|Henry James
Edna did not reveal so much as all this to Madame Ratignolle that summer day when they sat with faces turned to the sea.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Each day she resolved, "To-morrow I will tell Felipe;" and when to-morrow came, she put it off again.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
There are three things a wise man will not trust: the wind, the sunshine of an April day, and woman's plighted faith.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
The proceedings of the day commenced with divine service, performed by Unitarian and Baptist ministers.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various