Walter Mitty



Walter Mitty

A person, generally quite ordinary or ineffectual, who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs. For example, He's a Walter Mitty about riding in a rodeo but is actually afraid of horses. This term comes from James Thurber's short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1939), describing just such a character.

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
PheobeFEE-beeEnglish
Hizkiah-Biblical
Osberht-Anglo-Saxon
BÍBorka-Hungarian
Sherwood['ʃə:wud]
UkkoOOK-ko (Finnish)Finnish, Finnish Mythology