Poindexter en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈpɔɪnˌdɛkstə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈpɔɪnˌdɛkstɚ/ (General-American)
Etymology
From Jersey Norman Poingdestre (literally “right fist”). The sense “bookish or socially unskilled person” is from the character of the same name in the 1959 animated television series Felix the Cat, which is a revival of the original Felix the Cat animated films from 1919 to 1936. Its first use appears c. 1981 in the publication University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Slang.
Meanings
-
(US, colloquial) A bookish or socially unskilled person.
On first listen, Americans of a certain vintage would call one a Poindexter, while older Brits would regard the other as a swot.
2023 August 8, Janan Ganesh, “The oneness of Ron DeSantis and Rishi Sunak”, in Financial Times:Brain: A quantum-interface bomb? Are you insane in the membrane? / Philip Fry: You got it, Poindexter!
2003 April 6, David X. Cohen, “The Why of Fry”, in Futurama, season 5, episode 8, Fox Broadcasting Company:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| poindexter | alternative | lexicographic | |
| Poindexters | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
geek · Nigel · flabbergast · gink · flabaghast · nosebleed · flabagast · nerd · nerd · dork