(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, derogatory, slang) A stupid or annoying person; a simpleton; a fool.
Andy Lewis concludes Richard Dawkins is a pillock, even if he doesn’t know it
Fortunately a sizeable number of people concludes Richard Dawkins is a daft pillock, who recycled the same book multiple times, and he hasn’t had an original thought in decades.
(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, derogatory, slang) A stupid or annoying person; a simpleton; a fool.
"pillock" means: A stupid or annoying person; a simpleton; a fool.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
"pillock" means: A stupid or annoying person; a simpleton; a fool.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Add your own interpretation of "pillock".
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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He's such a pillock. Me me me poor little me.
"pillock" means: A stupid or annoying person; a simpleton; a fool.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (UK) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
“Andy Lewis concludes Richard Dawkins is a pillock, even if he doesn’t know it”
“Fortunately a sizeable number of people concludes Richard Dawkins is a daft pillock, who recycled the same book multiple times, and he hasn’t had an original thought in decades.”
“He's such a pillock. Me me me poor little me.”
“Watching Kegsbreath saying that "America's gift to the world is a red, white and blue dome over the Strait of Hormuz". It was open before they started this war. What a fucking pillock.”
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(US, slang) A stupid, oafish or clumsy person.