Lummoxes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An awkward or clumsy person who often lacks grace
2. Someone who tends to be heavy-footed or unrefined in movement
3. A dull-witted individual prone to making blunders or foolish mistakes

Etymology: "Lummoxes" is simply the plural of "lummox," so it refers to more than one clumsy, oafish person. The singular word is the one with the history, and its origin is genuinely unclear. It first appears in print in 1825, in East Anglian slang, which suggests it was a regional term before it spread more widely. Two explanations are offered. One is that it comes from the phrase "dumb ox," a lumbering animal, with the idea of slowness and stupidity blended in. The other links it to a dialect verb, "lummock," meaning to move about heavily or clumsily. That verb's own origin is also uncertain, so the chain of connections may not go much further back than the East Anglian dialect itself.

Synonyms: oafs, clods, dullards, buffoons, blockheads

Antonyms: geniuses, intellectuals, brainiacs, wits, sophisticates