Rumpelstiltskin

[ ruhm-puhl-stilt-skin ]

noun

1. a dwarf in a German folktale who spins flax into gold for a young woman to meet the demands of the prince she has married, on the condition that she give him her first child or else guess his name: she guesses his name and he vanishes or destroys himself in a rage.

Rumpelstiltskin

/ ˌrʌmpəlˈstɪltskɪn /

noun

1. a dwarf in a German folktale who aids the king's bride on condition that she give him her first child or guess the dwarf's name. She guesses correctly and in his rage he destroys himself

“Rumpelstiltskin”

1. A fairy tale from the collection of the brothers Grimm . The title character , a dwarf, tells a woman who has promised him her first-born child that he will not hold her to her promise if she can guess his name. She finds it out, and Rumpelstiltskin, furious, destroys himself.

Example Sentences

In a footnote, the judge noted the former president's effort to turn his legal woes "into golden political capital, making it seem more providential than problematic," à la "Rumpelstiltskin."

From Salon

In a footnote, the judge observed the ex-president's attempts to turn his legal woes "into golden political capital, making it seem more providential than problematic," a la "Rumpelstiltskin."

From Salon

Like an evil Rumpelstiltskin, this polite killer — who is never named — can suddenly appear and vanish at will as he begins to haunt the book’s narrator, John Price.

From Washington Post

Princes and princesses, Goldilocks, Rumpelstiltskin and other foundational fairy-tale figures are suffering under the leadership of the “Fair One,” who has laid waste to the realm and aims to expand his dominion.

From Washington Post

Meyer recasts the fairy tale “Rumpelstiltskin” as a dark fantasy in which “the miller’s daughter” finally gets a name and the power that comes with it.

From New York Times