ˌarm-ˈchair, armchair
Also 7–8 armed-chair.
[f. arm n.1, armed ppl. a.2]
A chair with arms: see arm n.1 9. b. attrib., in the home; hence domesticated, comfortable; often applied to persons who confine themselves or are addicted to home-made views or criticism of matters in which they take no active part, or of which they have no first-hand knowledge, as armchair critic, arm-chair politician, arm-chair travel(ler).
| 1633 H. Cogan Pinto's Voy. lvi. 218 Born in Pallaquins or Arm-chairs. 1693 Lond. Gaz. mmdcccxlv/2 The Commissioners went to the two Armed Chairs placed for them. 1795–9 Southey Sonn. xv. Wks. II. 97 Seated in thy great arm'd chair. c 1840 Eliza Cook, I love it, I love it, and who shall dare To chide me for loving that old arm-chair? 1858 Househ. Words 10 July 82/1 Gentler heads and hands have been at work there since, or that county would not rejoice in its line of ‘arm-chair cobs’. 1878 Browning Poets Croisic xcvii, Arm-chair moodiness. 1886 Times Register Events 1885 cxxxii, Mr. Chamberlain..met the expostulations..of his moderate allies with sneers at..‘the arm-chair politicians’. 1895 W. James Let. 12 Oct. in R. B. Perry Tht. & Char. W.J. (1935) II. 9 As an arm-chair professor, I frankly admit my great inferiority as a laboratory-teacher and investigator. 1896 W. H. S. Aubrey Stock Exch. Investm. i. 5 The arm-chair critic of politics, war, literature, or finance. 1902 Lond. Q. Rev. Jan. 70 Even to the armchair traveller the perusal of this Handbook would..suffice to attest the reality of the transformation of the..province. 1914 Eng. Rev. Sept. 259 Arm-chair strategists. 1914 E. A. Powell Fighting in Flanders vi. 133 After..the arm-chair historians have settled down to the task of writing a connected account of the campaign. 1935 Economist 19 Jan. 128/1 The book is perhaps a little too encyclopaedic for armchair reading, but it will be very valuable as..a source of reference. 1936 Discovery Aug. 259/2 Armchair travel becomes easier and more pleasant every day. 1952 C. Day Lewis tr. Virgil's Aeneid xi. 246 We don't want big talk from an armchair critic. |
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▸ armchair quarterback n. N. Amer. colloq. (depreciative) a person who advises or offers an opinion on something (esp. a sporting event) in which he or she is not actively involved, or about which he or she lacks first-hand or specialist knowledge (cf. sense b).
| 1940 Los Angeles Times 13 May ii. 4/3 The folks back home know that pilots know more about flying than the *armchair quarterbacks in Washington. 2006 Brandweek 30 Oct. 18/1 Since the beginning of sports on TV, there have been armchair quarterbacks who feel they know what to do better than the coach or general manager. |
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▸ armchair quarterbacking n. N. Amer. colloq. the action or fact of being an armchair quarterback.
| 1952 Newport (Rhode Island) Daily News 25 July 4/2 Friends said he had done a good deal of *armchair quarterbacking as he watched telecasts of last night's hectic convention session. 2007 Florida Times-Union (Nexis) 14 Jan. c18 All of the second-guessing and armchair-quarterbacking was silenced..when..Florida had pummeled Ohio State 41–14. |
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▸ armchair ride n. colloq. (orig. Horse Racing) a smooth and easy victory, passage, or accomplishment.
| 1939 Times 10 Feb. 5/1 Mr. R. Black..had almost an *armchair ride on Venturesome Knight to win the Friary Hunters' Steeplechase. 1986 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 22 Nov. 4/2 [He] expects an arm chair ride into leadership after Sir Joh retires. 2007 Mail on Sunday (Nexis) 4 Feb. iii. 123 Playing with the sort of quick ball that our forwards provided makes it an armchair ride. |