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The meaning and origin of the expression: Action man

Action man

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Action man'?

Other phrases:

A dynamic, macho type of man.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Action man'?

Action Man toys were marketed by the UK company Palitoy from 1966 until 1984. They were male dolls with movable features and dressed in British Army-style clothes. The dolls were based on the US Hasbro toy company's GI Joe.

The meaning and origin of the phrase 'Action man'The British politician Paddy Ashdown was nicknamed Action Man, because of his resemblance to the toy.

The term 'action man' had been in use well before the dolls were introduced. In 1943 the California newspaper, the Fresno Bee Republican, ran a piece about a record-breaking cow:

"Maybe Dinah [the cow - having impressed the journalist by producing 17 times her own weight in milk] and her owner ... have caught some of the 'miracle production' philosophy of Henry J. Kaiser, the famous ship building action man of that state."

Gary Martin - the author of the phrases.org.uk website.

By Gary Martin

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

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