Clotpole

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe a foolish or stupid person ; an insult implying a lack of intelligence or common sense ; historically a slang word for a blockhead or dullard
2. A derogatory expression for someone considered unintelligent or obtuse ; a label applied to a person showing ignorance or poor judgment ; an archaic insult meaning an idiot or simpleton
3. A name given to a person regarded as notably slow-witted or dim ; a pejorative term to criticize someone's mental sharpness or reasoning ; formerly used to characterize a hapless or dense individual

Etymology: "Clotpole" is a compound built from two plain English words. "Clot" here is an old sense of the word meaning a lump or clod of earth, and "pole" was used in its old sense of "head," the same sense that survives in the phrase "poll" for the top of the skull. Put together, the term literally describes a head made of clod, a lump-headed person. The variant "clodpole" is the more common spelling, and it reflects the same picture: "clod" meaning a lump of earth or soil, joined to "pole" meaning head. In the period when the word was in use as an insult, the image of a blockhead as a dense lump of earth on top of the shoulders would have been immediately clear to speakers.

Synonyms: blockhead, fool, idiot, simpleton, dunce

Antonyms: genius, intellectual, sage, clever person