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Definition:
c) a foolish person
German translation:
doofus = der Idiot
(woerterbuch.info)
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GOOGLE INDEX
doofus: approximately 1,000,000 hits
Sample text:
Put mobile phone blocking equipment in every theatre! Don't you just hate it when the DOOFUS next to you starts taking a phone call right in the middle of a movie?
(www.pennlive.com)
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"(U.S. President George W.) Bush may seem like a DOOFUS, but he always comes across as a human being."
- James Pennebaker, University of Texas social psychologist
Did you know?
doofus
noun, slang
- an incompetent, foolish, or stupid person
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
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WORD ORIGIN
The origin of "doofus" is unknown, but likely is a variant of "goofus", which in turn stems from goofy, an adjective that means silly, ridiculous.
Doofus is primarily an American English word that has become part of the phrase "doofus dads", such as in fathers. This expression is used to describe the goofy and oftentimes helpless fathers that are so often seen in American television situation comedies. One of the most well known is Homer Simpson, the catastrophic father of the famous Simpson cartoon family.
These "doofus dads" are usually portrayed as bumbling idiots who, despite loving and being loved by their families, are constantly ridiculed for making a mess of almost everything they become involved in. But at the (happy) end of each show, the father is typically situated on the couch where he gets a group hug from his family - and they all live happily ever after.
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SYNONYMS
blockhead, boob, booby, cretin, dimwit, donkey, dork, dumb ox, dumbbell, dunce, dunderhead, fool, halfwit, ignoramus, imbecile, jerk, kook, meathead, mental defective, moron, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, numbskull, pinhead, pointy head, simpleton, tomfool, twit
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ANTONYMS
brain, genius, intellectual, prodigy
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"What doofus left the office lights on all night?"
Thanks to Eva for suggesting today's word!
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And now...
Today's Learning Tip (12):
USE FEELINGS
How do professional actors learn their lines? They practice their material in complete sentences and they speak them out loud with feeling. We often remember things when feelings are involved - place the new word an emotional sentence, and say it several times with PASSION.
more learning tips
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