What it means
A melt is someone who's gone all floppy over something minor. Too whiny, too precious, too easily rattled, proper soft when the rest of the room's just cracking on. It's a very British dig, usually aimed at a mate who's sulking, fussing or making a drama out of nowt. More taking the piss than full-on savage.
Usage examples
"Jay wouldn't come out because it was drizzling and he might ruin his hair, so the lads piled in, calling him a melt all night."
"Tom started crying because they put the wrong cheese on his burger, the whole table called him a melt and the waitress brought him an extra napkin out of pity."
"Don't be a melt, mate, it's just a tiny bit of rain. The five-a-side is happening with or without you, the rest of the team is already lacing up in the carpark."
"He dropped his chips and started sulking for half an hour. Absolute melt."
"You're wearing gloves in September and saying it's freezing? Melt behaviour, that."
Where it comes from
The picture is straight off the kitchen counter: a pat of butter under sunlight slumping into a sad puddle. British football crowds and school playgrounds turned that puddle into a put-down for any lad who folds at the first whiff of bother, real or imagined, in front of his pals.
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