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patzer

American  
[paht-ser, pat-] / ˈpɑt sər, ˈpæt- /

noun

  1. a casual, amateurish chess player.


Etymology

Origin of patzer

1955–60; probably < German Patzer bungler, equivalent to patz ( en ) to bungle (compare Austrian dialect Patzen stain, blot, patzen to make a stain) + -er -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I'm just a patzer, but I always enjoy looking at your chessboard illustration, trying to guess the next move.

From New York Times • Oct. 11, 2014

The picture often has the flashy moves of a chess patzer.

From Time Magazine Archive

The yellow-tied patzer had come for beauty, but Ljubo had come for truth.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Unheard melodies," murmured the yellow-tied patzer sitting near me.

From Time Magazine Archive

A tall, gentle man with steel-rimmed glasses and a perpetual smile, Hartleb greeted everyone he met—champion or patzer, beginner or veteran, child or octogenarian—by bowing low and saying with deep reverence, “Master!”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady