sad sack
- a pathetically inept person, especially a soldier, who continually blunders in spite of good intentions.
Show More
Origin of sad sack
after the cartoon character created in 1942 by U.S. cartoonist George Baker (1915–75)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sad sack
Contemporary Examples
Her sad-sack ex, currently busy haunting Chapel Hill bars, continues to escape any real blame.
sad sack
- US slang an inept person who makes mistakes despite good intentions
Show More
Word Origin
C20: from a cartoon character created by G. Baker, US cartoonist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with sad sack
sad sack
A singularly inept person, as in Poor George is a hopeless sad sack. This term alludes to a cartoon character, Sad Sack, invented by George Baker in 1942 and representing a soldier in ill-fitting uniform who failed at whatever he tried to do. It was soon transferred to clumsily inept civilians.
Show More
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.