Namby-pamby
A namby-pamby (plural namby-pambies) is someone, usually a male, who is overly weak, sentimental or indecisive. It was a play on the name of Ambrose Philips, who wrote sickeningly sentimental poems for children. The nickname was devised by Henry Carey, a poet and songwriter, who wrote “God Save the Queen” and “My Country ‘tis of Thee”. It was popularized, however, by Alexander Pope in his satirical epic “The Dunciad”. It can also be used as an adjective meaning weak or spineless, lacking vigour or decisiveness, and overly sentimental.
The poet Ambrose Philips was the original Namby-Pamby.