Usage 1: The verb may also be spelled "molly-coddle." The noun "mollycoddle" (or "molly-coddle") means an effeminate man or boy, just as does "molly" alone. In fact, coddle may be used alone in a sense similar to "mollycoddle:" "To coddle" means to treat someone as though they were an invalid.
Suggested usage: Here is a playful word that can relieve "pamper" and "indulge" of some of their duties. Apply it liberally around the house: "Don't mollycoddle the kids, honey; make them do their chores." "Should I stop molly-coddling you, too, and expect you to do yours?"
Etymology: A compound based on molly "an effeminate man" plus coddle "to slack on discipline." "Molly" (or "Mally") was originally a nickname for "Mary" but, like "John," soon came to take on other meanings, no doubt, for its commonness. Coddle originally meant "cook an egg in water without boiling it," hence underdoing something from where "underdoing discipline" is but an aimless skip. (Our appreciation to Nashville's most articulate attorney, Jason Spitzer, for today's unusual word.)
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