juggins
Definition
- Noun (British slang, dated):
- A foolish or gullible person: "juggins" refers to someone who is naive, simple-minded, or easily tricked. It often implies a lack of sophistication or awareness.
Usage Examples
- (Don't be so foolish; he's obviously deceiving you.)
- (The old man was a naive person who trusted everything he was told.)
Advanced Usage
- "to play the juggins": to act foolishly or pretend to be naive for amusement or advantage.
- He played the juggins to avoid being blamed for the mistake. (He pretended to be foolish to escape responsibility.)
Variants and Related Words
- Juggin (n): a less common variant, used in some dialects to mean a simpleton or fool.
- The village juggin was always the butt of jokes. (The local fool was always the target of humour.)
Synonyms
- Simpleton: a person lacking in intelligence or common sense.
- Dolt: a stupid person.
- Gull: a person who is easily deceived or cheated.
Related Idioms
- "a proper juggins": a complete fool or a person who is thoroughly naive.
- He's a proper juggins if he thinks that scheme will work. (He is a complete fool to believe that plan will succeed.)
Etymology Note
The word "juggins" is believed to originate from British slang of the 19th century, possibly derived from the personal name "Juggins" used as a generic term for a simple-minded person. It is now considered old-fashioned and rarely used in modern English.