whiz kid

¹

noun

, Informal.

1. a youthful and exceptionally intelligent, successful, or influential person in a given field:

   the whiz kid of network programming.

whiz-kid

²

[ hwiz-kid, wiz- ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a whiz kid:

   a whiz-kid sales manager.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whiz kid¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of whiz kid²

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

The honchos call in a whiz-kid named George Weiss, who penned tunes for the likes of Elvis.

From The Daily Beast

If you were HP CEO Meg Whitman, how would you feel about the whiz-kid consultants?

From The Daily Beast

On Tuesday, whiz-kid election predictor Nate Silver wrote, “This year, all clichés about Ohio are true.”

From The Daily Beast

Jindal's extraordinary energy in those days helped cement an impression of him as something more than a whiz-kid wonk.

From The Daily Beast