Doddypoll

/ˈdɒdi.pɔːl/ noun

Definition

An archaic or dialect term meaning a blockhead, fool, or stupid person; literally a 'poll' or head that is 'doddy' or thick-witted.

Etymology

Compound of 'doddy' (thick, stupid) and 'poll' (head). This insult was used in early modern English to describe someone lacking intelligence, combining the Scottish term with an older English word for the head.

Kelly Says

Shakespeare's contemporaries would have understood 'doddypoll' as a cutting insult combining physical and mental dimness—it's a reminder that creative insults in older texts were often anatomically or descriptively literal.

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