Derp

Part of speech: interjection, noun

Definitions

1. Slang for a silly, slow-witted person who seems oblivious to what is going on around them ; to behave in a goofy, senseless manner that makes one look foolish
2. A dim-witted or careless individual who says or does something stupid without realizing it ; to carry on in a daft, bumbling way that shows a lack of thought
3. An oafish, clueless person who lacks common sense ; to blunder about acting foolishly, often with a vacant or silly expression

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "derp" is how little anyone can prove about it. Its likeliest ancestor is "dur," a British informal exclamation meaning "stupid," though "duh" is also in the running: that was an exclamation of faltering speech, used to suggest a person was slow-witted, and "derp" may be a glottalized, emphatic version of it, the hard stop in the middle of the sound standing in for a stumble. The word also sits near "twerp," which may be related to the Welsh "twp," meaning fool. Its first documented use in print is in the 1934 film "College Rhythm," where it described a nerdy or awkward person. For decades it then sat largely unnoticed, which is why its later rise looks so sudden. The word returned to wide use through "BASEketball," a 1998 comedy film, and an episode of "South Park" titled "Succubus," from 1999. Its interjection sense, a sound of dull-witted incomprehension, is tied to those later uses, and it spread from there.

Synonyms: blunder, gaffe