Fopdoodle

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfɒpduːdəl/

Definitions

1. A foolish or insignificant person who is easily deceived or ridiculed
2. A person of little sense or consequence who lacks judgment and invites mockery
3. An individual of trifling worth or intelligence who is readily duped and scorned

Etymology: Fopdoodle is a compound built from two older English words. "Fop" meant a vain man or dandy, someone preoccupied with clothes and social polish, while "doodle" was an obsolete term for a mindless person, a fool or simpleton. Joined together, the pair produced a label for someone who is both vain and empty-headed. The "doodle" half is the surprise. Today the word suggests idle pencil sketches, but its older sense was entirely about stupidity, and it had nothing to do with drawing. Put beside "fop," it reads as a sneering insult aimed at a person whose polished appearance hides an unimportant mind.