An old-fashioned insult meaning a foolish or silly person, particularly someone lacking intelligence or common sense.
From 'chick' (small, young, or foolish) combined with 'wit' (intelligence or mind), dating to Middle English when 'wit' referred to mental faculties. The compound suggests someone with the small wit of a chick.
This insult is a perfect example of how language insulters combined animal terms with mental faculties—similar to calling someone a 'numbskull' or 'birdbrain'—showing how humans have always mocked each other's intelligence through animal comparisons.
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