nitwit

nitwit
nitwit (n.) "stupid person," 1922, probably from nit "nothing," from dialectal German or Yiddish, from Middle Low German (see NIX (Cf. nix)) + WIT (Cf. wit) (n.).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Nitwit — Nitwit, a colloquial noun for a stupid person, may refer to: an idiot Nitwit Records Nittany Nation, formerly known Nittwits , a student organization See also Baggy Pants and the Nitwits This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the …   Wikipedia

  • nitwit — [n] idiot blockhead, bonehead*, cretin, dimwit, dork, dumbbell, dummy, dunce, fool, halfwit, ignoramus, imbecile, jerk, moron, nincompoop, ninny*, numskull, pinhead*, simpleton, stupid person; concept 412 …   New thesaurus

  • nitwit — ► NOUN informal ▪ a silly or foolish person. ORIGIN apparently from NIT(Cf. ↑nit) + WIT(Cf. ↑witted) …   English terms dictionary

  • nitwit — ☆ nitwit [nit′wit΄ ] n. [nit (< Ger dial. for nicht, not) or ? NIT1 + WIT1] a stupid or silly person …   English World dictionary

  • nitwit —    You little nitwit’ is a disguised endearment in The Fox in the Attic, by Richard Hughes. ‘Nitwit’ someone with the wit of a louse’s egg, i.e. no wit at all is too obviously a joke to be used as a serious insult. It seems to be a modern… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • nitwit — [[t]nɪ̱twɪt[/t]] nitwits N COUNT (disapproval) If you refer to someone as a nitwit, you think they are stupid or silly. [INFORMAL] You great nitwit!... Hollywood was full of nitwits . Syn: nit, twit …   English dictionary

  • nitwit — UK [ˈnɪtˌwɪt] / US noun [countable] Word forms nitwit : singular nitwit plural nitwits informal a stupid person …   English dictionary

  • nitwit — n. someone who behaves stupidly. (Also a term of address.) □ You are such a nitwit! □ Please stop acting like a nitwit all the time …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • nitwit — fool, dumbbell, hairbrain, half there    When he s drunk he acts like a nitwit like he has no sense! …   English idioms

  • nitwit — /ˈnɪtwɪt / (say nitwit) noun Colloquial a slow witted or foolish person. {US English colloquialism (early 1900s) nit1 + wit1 (def. 4), i.e. having the intelligence of a nit } …  

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