Infant Terrible

Posted by Henry on March 31, 2004

In Reply to: Infant Terrible posted by Cam on March 31, 2004

: I believe the phrase 'Infant Terrible' originates from some work of French literature, or so I vaguely remember. The only origin - ha! - I can find on the Internet is to Fantastic Four issue 24. As much as I enjoyed the Fantastic Four, I'm sure the reference is to some place more authoritative. Can anyone help me out?

Here's a definition. I don't know if there was an original "terrible child".
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002. enfant terrible (ahn-FAHN te-REE-bluh)A person who stirs things up in an irresponsible or indiscreet way or has unconventional ideas: "Doctor Hill keeps writing articles that criticize his fellow physicians; he is becoming known as the enfant terrible of his profession." From French, meaning "terrible child."