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Definition 2024

village_idiot

village idiot

English

Alternative forms

Noun

village idiot ‎(plural village idiots)

  1. (Britain) A person widely known in their community for their stupidity and ignorant behaviour.

Translations

Etymology

The term first appears in the preface to George Bernard Shaw's play Major Barbara, which opened in 1907. Shaw discusses how some people have treated madness or idiocy as a source of humor, remarking that "I myself have had a village idiot exhibited to me as something irresistibly funny."

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