the.com/upstart
Ambition that skipped the line and refuses to apologize for it.
means A person who has risen suddenly in rank, wealth, or influence — especially one seen as pushy, presumptuous, or undeserving of the status they've grabbed.
from Straightforward 15th-century compound: 'up' plus 'start,' meaning to spring or shoot up suddenly, like a plant bolting out of the ground before its season. The word first described a sudden rise itself, then quickly curdled into an insult — the person who sprang up too fast, too far, without the pedigree or patience the old order thought they owed it.
- origin
- literally means jumped up suddenly, 1500s
- connotation
- always implies you did not earn it yet
- irony
- today's upstart is tomorrow's establishment
- usage tell
- only losers call winners upstarts