Humpty Dumpty

[ huhmp-tee duhmp-tee ]

noun

1. an egg-shaped character in a Mother Goose nursery rhyme that fell off a wall and could not be put together again.
2. (sometimes lowercase) something that has been damaged severely and usually irreparably.

humpty dumpty

/ ˈhʌmptɪ ˈdʌmptɪ /

noun

1. a short fat person
2. a person or thing that once overthrown or broken cannot be restored or mended

“Humpty Dumpty”

1. A nursery rhyme:

   Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;

   Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

   All the king's horses and all the king's men

   Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Humpty Dumpty¹

Rhyming compound based on humpty; hump, -ed ³, -y ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of Humpty Dumpty¹

C18: after the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty

Example Sentences

A house on the site said to be the inspiration for the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme has been put up for sale.

From BBC

Humpty Dumpty is an apt analogy here: It’s easier to prevent his great fall than to put him together again after he’s broken.

From Los Angeles Times

In dribs and drabs over the next 16 years, a remarkable pattern emerged — a Humpty Dumpty story with a happier ending.

From New York Times

“You can’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again if you default on the debt,” said Bill Dudley, the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

From New York Times

A day later, it illustrated Mr. Trump as Humpty Dumpty about to have a great fall.

From New York Times