halfwit

• half-wit

From half +‎ wit.

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halfwit (plural halfwits)

1. (informal) Someone lacking in intelligence.

   Synonyms: fuckwit (vulgar); see also Thesaurus:idiot

   • 2007 June 15, Oliver Burkeman, “The rise of the anti-self-help movement”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     It has been pointed out in this space before that a number of the titles you'll find shelved under self-help in your local bookshop are, on closer examination, farragos of wooden-headed tripe, written by mountebanks and halfwits.

   • 2024 November 25, Max Brockman, “P.I. Undercover: New York” (11:26 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[2], season 6, episode 8, spoken by Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry):

     “Doesn't matter. That man is not the leader.” “But he is the main guy on the show.” “He is an actor, Nandor. A simpleton who paints his face. He is an empty-headed puppet who thinks the world loves him, when in actual fact, he is nothing more than a lapdog begging for scraps.” [groans] “No, he is not the leader. That would be another devil who pulls the strings. The halfwit they call the director.”