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duffer

[ duhf-er ]
/ ˈdʌf ər /
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noun
Informal.
  1. a plodding, clumsy, incompetent person.
  2. a person inept or inexperienced at a specific sport, as golf.
Northern and North Midland U.S. an old man, especially a dull or indecisive one.
Slang.
  1. anything inferior, counterfeit, or useless.
  2. a peddler, especially one who sells cheap, flashy goods.
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Origin of duffer

1835–45; perhaps Scots dialect duffar, dowfart “dull, stupid person,” derivative of dowf; def. 3 perhaps re-formation with duff3 + -er1

Words nearby duffer

Dufay, duff, duffel, duffel bag, duffel coat, duffer, duffle coat, duff up, Duffy, Du Fu, dufus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to duffer

blockhead, blunderer, bonehead, botcher, bumbler, butcher, butterfingers, clod, dolt, donkey, dunce, fool, foul-up, fumbler, goofball, idiot, ignoramus, incompetent, klutz, numskull

How to use duffer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for duffer

duffer
/ (ˈdʌfə) /
noun
informal a dull or incompetent person
slang something worthless
dialect a peddler or hawker
Australian slang
  1. a mine that proves unproductive
  2. a person who steals cattle

Word Origin for duffer

C19: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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