Plural of armchair; comfortable chairs with sides or rests for the arms, often used in living rooms; also used metaphorically for people offering uninformed opinions.
From arm (the chair's support) plus chair. The armchair emerged in the 16th century as a luxury furniture item, and by the 19th century became metaphorically associated with armchair critics and armchair generals.
Armchairs became so symbolic of comfort and distance from real action that 'armchair' became an insult—'armchair quarterback' is someone judging sports while sitting at home, showing how furniture can become a symbol of privilege and separation from reality.
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