daft laddie
A Scottish term for a stupid boy or foolish young man — but with the interesting secondary sense of someone who plays the fool deliberately to avoid responsibility or to gain advantage.
Definitions
A Scottish term for a stupid boy or foolish young man — but with the interesting secondary sense of someone who plays the fool deliberately to avoid responsibility or to gain advantage. The daft laddie persona is a recurring archetype in Scottish folklore and humour: the apparent simpleton who turns out to be shrewder than he lets on.
Everyone thought he was a daft laddie until he outsmarted the whole lot of them.
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A stupid person.
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A person feigning stupidity.
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Semantically related
- daft laddie question79%
(Scotland, North England) A question posed to a group by a person feigning stupidity with the aim of making sure all aspects of a subject have been considered.
- laddie75%
A Scottish and Northumbrian term of address or reference for a young boy or male, often affectionate. It is the diminutive of 'lad' and signals informality and warmth. The word is strongly associated with Scottish speech and can sound patronizing when used by non-Scots or in formal contexts, but within its register it is simply a fond way to address a young man.
- dafty74%
Dafty is a fondly teasing Scottish and Northern English term for someone who acts daft — silly, foolish, a bit goofy, or not entirely in touch with reality. It's affectionate as often as it's critical; calling your mate a dafty after they've done something ridiculous is more of a laugh than an insult. It has the same warmth as 'numpty' or 'walloper' in Scottish speech — you're not crushing them, you're just gently pointing out that they've been an absolute numskull.