superbrat

superbrat

English

Etymology

super- +‎ brat

The term came into popular usage around 1979 when the British press branded the young American tennis star John McEnroe "Superbrat", referring to McEnroe's angry responses when a line call went against him.

Noun

superbrat (plural superbrats)

1. (informal, chiefly derogatory) A bratty superstar, especially one who plays professional sport.
   • 1979, The New Yorker‎, volume 55, page 126:

     ...McEnroe's behavior was so outrageous that the British press dubbed him Superbrat and went at him en masse.

   • 1990, Una-Mary Parker, Veil of Secrets

     How, she asked herself, could a mature man of such enormous talent sink to the level of behaving like a superbrat?

   • 2006, Buzz Bissinger, Three Nights in August

     In the off-season, the Cardinals looked on like envious children as the superbrats made the multimillion-dollar moves that still define the game...