crackpot
a foolish or stupid person
TRANSLATION
crackpot = der Verrückte, der Spinner crackpot (adj.) = irre, verrückt --- GOOGLE INDEX crackpot: approximately 600,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
If you receive a call from someone claiming to have a top secret Apple product in his possession, you probably assume he's a CRACKPOT.
(PC World magazine)
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Truckers attack CRACKPOT fuel price increase
(BBC - News Headline)
(PC World magazine)
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Truckers attack CRACKPOT fuel price increase
(BBC - News Headline)
Did you
know?
crackpot
noun
- a silly or stupid person
adjective
- silly or stupid
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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Cracked has been used an an adjective to mean "crazy, stupid" for many centuries. Add to that the fact that "pot" was once a common synonym for skull and one can imagine how the word crackpot may have evolved, although there is no real proof.
Even more interesting is to think about how the residents of the village of Crackpot, in North Yorkshire England, feel about the name of their town. The name apparently has nothing to do with the state-of-mind of the townspeople though.
Instead, it derives from the Old English kraka (crow) and the Viking word pot (usually a cavity or deep hole often in the bed of a river, but in Crackpot's case it refers to a rift in the limestone). This must be a disappointment for outsiders seeking a more entertaining explanation.
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SYNONYMS
noun
eccentric, flake, kook, lunatic, maniac, nut, oddball, screwball, wacko
adjective
batty, bizarre, odd, peculiar, strange, weird
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park is a popular venue for crackpots to air their views."
noun
- a silly or stupid person
adjective
- silly or stupid
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
Cracked has been used an an adjective to mean "crazy, stupid" for many centuries. Add to that the fact that "pot" was once a common synonym for skull and one can imagine how the word crackpot may have evolved, although there is no real proof.
Even more interesting is to think about how the residents of the village of Crackpot, in North Yorkshire England, feel about the name of their town. The name apparently has nothing to do with the state-of-mind of the townspeople though.
Instead, it derives from the Old English kraka (crow) and the Viking word pot (usually a cavity or deep hole often in the bed of a river, but in Crackpot's case it refers to a rift in the limestone). This must be a disappointment for outsiders seeking a more entertaining explanation.
---
SYNONYMS
noun
eccentric, flake, kook, lunatic, maniac, nut, oddball, screwball, wacko
adjective
batty, bizarre, odd, peculiar, strange, weird
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park is a popular venue for crackpots to air their views."
