Lynn sent a request to look into the word milquetoast. She recalled hearing it in connection with the movie The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was a 1966 comedy horror mystery film starring Don Knotts. This was Don Knotts first major venture after leaving the Andy Griffith Show. Luther Heggs (Don Knotts) was a timid and easily intimidated typesetter who became a hero. To prove himself as a real reporter, Luther volunteered to hunker down for a night in the alleged ghost possessed mansion, labelled the ‘Hitchcock House’. Luther is a milquetoast, a nervous, easily flustered man, constantly seeking validation and afraid of making mistakes.
Caspar Milquetoast is a 1924 comic strip character invented by cartoonist Harold T. Webster. A few years after the character's debut, the term milquetoast became popular to describe a timid or meek unassertive person. Milquetoast was derived from ‘milk toast,’ a weak, bland concoction of buttered toast served in a dish of warm milk. When looking for committee members one should avoid a milquetoast halfhearted candidate and seek passionate dedicated people.
Milquetoast can also indicate something that is lacking in vigor or is wishy-washy. The reporter really did not want the assignment so he produced a milquetoast article about the new spray park.
Synonyms for milquetoast can include wussy, nebbish, nervous Nelly, doormat, namby-pamby, jellyfish, and pushover.
Wussy is a person lacking in physical strength. The other boys teased him mercilessly for being a wussy when he failed the push-up test in gym class.
Nebbish means a person lacking in confidence or courage. Adam Sandler often plays characters who are described as a clueless, well-meaning nebbish who wants to be liked.
Nervous Nelly suggests a person who is inclined to worry. Many new parents are nervous Nellies when it comes to leaving their new infants in the care of other people.
Doormat is a person without strength of character. He was such a doormat when it came to making decisions with his wife around.
Namby-pamby denotes a person lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character. Those namby-pamby officials on the board will never get serious about the merger.
Jellyfish signifies a person without strength of integrity. The woman was a jellyfish because she was afraid to tell her boyfriend that his latest scheme was just plain dumb.
Pushover suggests a person deficient in strength of character. His parents were such pushovers when it came to disciplining their only child.
Milquetoast is still used occasionally today by some writers. Dan Leach in Literary Hub (July 2025) describes Michael Bible’s novel Sophie, “Like Ray did for its generation, Sophia proves that one little book willing to fill every word with lightning is worth more than the milquetoast marketability of a thousand best sellers.”
A milquetoast character was portrayed by Ben Stiller in the 1998 romantic comedy movie There’s Something About Mary. Elliot (Ben Stiller) is a socially awkward young man in love who is easily flustered. His attempts to connect with Mary are often undercut by his own insecurities, emphasizing his milquetoast disposition.
Many comedic movies and shows include a milquetoast character. There are times those characters are almost too hard to watch, and as a viewer one may feel like shouting “get a backbone buddy.” But generally they come through in the end to prove to be the hero of the day when it really counts. Thinking about it, perhaps we should take on more of the milquetoast nature at times, searching out our inner Luther Heggs, and saving our boldness and fearlessness when it is really called for.
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected] . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
