duffer

duffer
/duf"euhr/, n.
1. Informal.
a. a plodding, clumsy, incompetent person.
b. a person inept or inexperienced at a specific sport, as golf.
2. Northern and North Midland U.S. an old man, esp. a dull or indecisive one.
3. Slang.
a. anything inferior, counterfeit, or useless.
b. a peddler, esp. one who sells cheap, flashy goods.
[1835-45; perh. Scots dial. duffar, dowfart dull, stupid person, deriv. of DOWF; def. 3 perh. re-formation with DUFF3 + -ER1]

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Duffer — may refer to: Duffer (Narnia), invisible dwarves in the Chronicles of Narnia Duffer , in Australian English, a person occupied in cattle raiding Glossary of chess#D#Duffer, a weak player in the game of chess In biology: Duffers group, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Duffer — Duf fer, n. 1. A peddler or hawker, especially of cheap, flashy articles, as sham jewelry; hence, a sham or cheat. [Slang, Eng.] Halliwell. [1913 Webster] 2. A stupid, awkward, inefficient person.[Slang] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Duffer — Duf fer, n. 1. (Mining) See {Shicer}. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) Any common domestic pigeon. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Duffer — Duf fer, n. One who duffs cattle, etc. [Australia] Unluckily, cattle stealers are by no means so rare as would be desirable; they are locally known as duffers. Baden Powell. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • duffer — inept person; old man, especially bad golfer, 1842, perhaps from Scot. duffar dull or stupid person, from dowf stupid, lit. deaf, from O.N. daufr, with pejorative suffix art. Or perhaps from 18c. thieves slang duff (v.) to dress or manipulate an… …   Etymology dictionary

  • duffer — ► NOUN informal ▪ an incompetent or stupid person. ORIGIN from Scots dowfart «stupid person» …   English terms dictionary

  • duffer — [duf′ər] n. [< thieves slang duff, to counterfeit, fake] 1. [Old Slang] a peddler, as of cheap trinkets 2. [Old Slang] anything counterfeit or worthless 3. Informal a person, now often elderly, who is incompetent, ineffectual, or dawdling 4.… …   English World dictionary

  • Duffer — 1. stupid or incompetent person; one who is socially and practically inept: He s a bit of a duffer, but harmless at that ; 2. used as a mild remonstrance to someone who has done something silly, been clumsy, etc.: You ve left you hat on the train …   Dictionary of Australian slang

  • duffer — Australian Slang 1. stupid or incompetent person; one who is socially and practically inept: He s a bit of a duffer, but harmless at that ; 2. used as a mild remonstrance to someone who has done something silly, been clumsy, etc.: You ve left you …   English dialects glossary

  • Düffer — Dieser Artikel oder Abschnitt ist nicht hinreichend mit Belegen (Literatur, Webseiten oder Einzelnachweisen) versehen. Die fraglichen Angaben werden daher möglicherweise demnächst gelöscht. Hilf Wikipedia, indem du die Angaben recherchierst und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • duffer — [“dafa* ] 1. n. a foolish oaf; a bumbler. □ Some old duffer is weeding our garden for us. He’s lost, I think. □ Pete’s just a duffer he’s not really serious at it. 2. n. an unskilled golfer. D Those duffers up ahead are holding up the game. □ …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”