Tudor & Stuart · insult · noun
Ninnyhammer
NIN-ee-ham-er /ˈnɪnɪˌhæmə/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedby 1590
A fool or simpleton; an extended form of 'ninny'. What the '-hammer' adds is unclear (one tentative suggestion is dialect 'hammer', a clumsy person, or to stammer).
Where it was first recorded
The Cobbler of Canterbury (1590), per Green's Dictionary of Slang; Merriam-Webster and the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary give 1592 (Nashe, Four Letters Confuted)
Also spelled: ninny-hammer, ninny hammer
In its own time
Why the more foole she, I, the more ninny-hammer she.
Today
Modern exampleYou ninnyhammer, you've locked the keys in the car again.
Fine to use; a comic, affectionate way to call someone silly.
Questions
What does ninnyhammer mean?
A fool or simpleton; an extended form of 'ninny'. What the '-hammer' adds is unclear (one tentative suggestion is dialect 'hammer', a clumsy person, or to stammer).
When was ninnyhammer first used?
It is first recorded by 1590 — The Cobbler of Canterbury (1590), per Green's Dictionary of Slang; Merriam-Webster and the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary give 1592 (Nashe, Four Letters Confuted).
Can you still use ninnyhammer today?
Fine to use; a comic, affectionate way to call someone silly.
Sources
- ninnyhammer — Online Etymology Dictionary
- ninnyhammer — Merriam-Webster
- ninnyhammer — Dictionary.com (Random House Unabridged / Collins)
- Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 ed.) — Francis Grose (Project Gutenberg #5402)
- A Yorkshire Tragedy — Wikisource
- ninnyhammer — Wiktionary
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above