Oafs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of clumsy or foolish individuals often exhibiting inept behavior or lacking social grace
2. A set of people characterized by their awkwardness and stupidity, typically used in a lighthearted or derogatory manner
3. A collection of bumbling characters who display a lack of intelligence or coordination in their actions

Etymology: "Oafs" is simply the plural of "oaf," so the story belongs to the singular. An oaf was once a changeling: in medieval folklore, a sickly or dull-witted child was thought to have been swapped by elves for a healthy one, and the word "auf" (also spelled "awf" or "aufe") named that elf-child. It descends from Old Norse "álfr," meaning "elf," and is a doublet of "alf" and "elf," meaning that all three are the same word that reached English along different routes. Over time the meaning moved from the supernatural to the merely stupid. A creature thought to be an elf's substitute came to describe a lumpish, slow-witted person, and then a clumsy, foolish one. The plural "oafs" follows the same path, and the word's origin in folklore explains why it carries such a sense of being unfit for ordinary life.

Synonyms: clods, louts, dullards

Antonyms: geniuses, intellects