An old-fashioned insult for a stupid or slow-witted person; literally 'dull head.'
From 'dull' + 'pate' (head). 'Pate' comes from Middle English and Old French meaning the top of the head, from Latin 'patena' (a plate or dish).
This is a Shakespearean-era insult that reveals how our ancestors literally thought the top of the head contained personality—body part insults were way more creative back then!
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