blockhead

[blok-hed] /ˈblɒkˌhɛd/
noun
1.
a stupid, doltish person; dunce.
2.
Obsolete. a piece of wood in the shape of a head, used as a block for hats or wigs.
Origin
1540-50; block + head
Related forms
blockheaded, adjective
blockheadedly, adverb
blockheadedness, noun
blockheadism, noun
Synonyms
1. fool, nitwit, dolt, dullard, ignoramus, booby.
Examples from the web for blockhead
  • While calling the author a blockhead, you don't cite one study or paper to back up your claim.
  • He returns with a scrawny specimen that prompts his cohorts to mock him as a blockhead.
  • He's a blockhead who wants a proof of what he can't perceive.
  • The deaf old blockhead, he is sure to have mixed up the two.
  • At the other end of the spectrum are blockhead reviewers who befuddle authors and mishandle manuscripts.
British Dictionary definitions for blockhead

blockhead

/ˈblɒkˌhɛd/
noun
1.
(derogatory) a stupid person
Derived Forms
blockheaded, adjective
blockheadedly, adverb
blockheadedness, noun
Word Origin and History for blockhead
n.

also block-head, "stupid person," 1540s (implied in blockheaded), from block (n.) + head (n.); probably originally an image of the head-shaped oaken block used by hat-makers, though the insulting sense is the older one.

Slang definitions & phrases for blockhead

blockhead

noun

A stupid person; klutz: No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money

[mid-1500s+; that is, a head no more intelligent than the block on which hats are made]