grumpy pants

• grumpy-pants
• grumpypants

grumpy +‎ -pants

grumpy pants (plural grumpy pants)

1. (countable, informal, sometimes used attributively) A person who is currently in a bad mood or is habitually cranky.
   • 1954, Philip Wylie, The Best of Crunch and Des, Rinehart (1954), page 360:

     "You fish, pal. Old grumpy-pants doesn't own the ocean!"

   • 2012, Ellie Daines, Lolly Luck, Anderson Press Limited (2012), →ISBN, unnumbered page:

     I was worried the supply teacher would be some grumpy-pants who liked sending kids out of the room if they dared to interrupt while they were speaking.

   • 2013, Eve Langlais, B785: Cyborg Romance, self-published (2013), →ISBN, page 74:

     “Charming, there you are. I've been looking all over for you. Grumpy pants here wouldn't tell me where you went.”

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:grumpy pants.
2. (uncountable, informal) A notional pair of pants worn by someone in a bad mood.
   • 2011, C. J. Castano, Forbidden Innocence, Lulu.com (2011), →ISBN, page 115:

     "What is everyone's problem this morning? Did everyone wake up with their grumpy pants on?"

   • 2011, Scott Semegran, The Spectacular Simon Burchwood, Sugar Skull Books (2011), →ISBN, unnumbered page:

     "Well, look who put on his grumpy pants today?" Gina said, punching me in the arm. She was really starting to get on my last goddamn nerves.

   • 2013, Edward Viljoen, The Power of Meditation: An Ancient Technique to Access Your Inner Power, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin (2013), →ISBN, unnumbered page:

     I notice that when I move through the world at this pace, I tend to do what a friend calls “wearing my grumpy pants.”