oaf
- oaf
‘You great oaf’ is now typically a playful insult used by a woman to a man, referring to his clumsiness and hinting at his stupidity. That phrase is used in such a way in Edna Ferber’s Showboat, for instance. In Henry’s War, by Jeremy Brooks, ‘you oaf’ is similarly friendly.
The expression becomes more genuinely contemptuous in The Ginger Man, by J.P.Donleavy, when a man calls another ‘you stupid intolerable oaf’, though he says this silently to himself.
The word came into use in the seventeenth century and is probably a form of ‘elf’, since its original meaning was an elf’s child, a changeling, a misbegotten half-wit. Its pronunciation and written form seem to have gone through many changes, and it is likely that its meaning varies from speaker to speaker.
A dictionary of epithets and terms of address .
Leslie Dunkling .
2015.
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ÖAF — Logo (Es handelt sich um den Gräf Stift Löwen, nicht zu verwechseln mit dem Braunschweiger Löwen des ÖAF Mutterkonzerns MAN. MAN hat diesen wiederum von Büssing übernommen.) ÖAF (Abkürzung für Österreichische Automobil Fabriks AG) ist eine… … Deutsch Wikipedia
OAF — ÖAF ÖAF est un constructeur de poids lourds autrichien, issu de la scission de Austro FIAT en 1921. ÖAF a été créé par FIAT en 1907 et est aujourd hui intégré dans le groupe allemand MAN. Histoire d ÖAF En 1907, Fiat créa une filiale en Autriche… … Wikipédia en Français
ÖAF — est un constructeur de poids lourds autrichien, issu de la scission de Austro FIAT en 1921. ÖAF a été créé par FIAT en 1907 et est aujourd hui intégré dans le groupe allemand MAN. Histoire En 1907, Fiat créa une filiale en Autriche qui s est d… … Wikipédia en Français
oaf — oaf; oaf·ish; oaf·ish·ly; oaf·ish·ness; … English syllables
Oaf — ([=o]f), n. [See {Auf}.] 1. Originally, an elf s child; a changeling left by fairies or goblins; hence, a deformed or foolish child; a simpleton; an idiot. [1913 Webster] 2. A clumsy or awkward person. Syn: klutz, clod, lummox, stumblebum. [PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
oaf — [əuf US ouf] n [Date: 1600 1700; : Old Norse; Origin: alfr elf ] someone who is stupid or awkward, especially a man >oafish adj … Dictionary of contemporary English
oaf — [ ouf ] noun count a man who is not sensitive or THOUGHTFUL and who behaves in a rude or unpleasant way … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
oaf — (n.) 1620s, auf, oph (modern form from 1630s), a changeling; a foolish child left by the fairies [Johnson], from a Scandinavian source, Cf. Norw. alfr silly person, in Old Norse, elf (see ELF (Cf. elf)). Hence, a misbegotten, deformed idiot.… … Etymology dictionary
oaf — has the plural form oafs … Modern English usage
oaf — [n] person who is clumsy, stupid beast, blunderer, bruiser, brute, chump*, clod, clown, dolt, dumb ox*, dunce, fool, goon*, idiot, imbecile, klutz*, loser, lout*, moron, nincompoop*, ox*, sap*, simpleton; concept 412 Ant. handyman … New thesaurus
oaf — ► NOUN ▪ a stupid, boorish, or clumsy man. DERIVATIVES oafish adjective. ORIGIN originally in the sense «elf s child, changeling», later «idiot child»: from Old Norse, elf … English terms dictionary
