Poindexter

See also: poindexter

English

Etymology

From Jersey Norman Poingdestre (literally “right fist”). The sense “bookish or socially unskilled person” is from the character of the same name in the cartoon Felix the Cat. Its first use appears c. 1981 in the publication University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill Slang.

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔɪnˌdɛkstɚ/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔɪnˌdɛkstə/
Audio (Southern England): (file)

Proper noun

Poindexter

A surname from Jersey Norman.

Noun

Poindexter (plural Poindexters)

(US, informal) A bookish or socially unskilled person.
Synonyms: geek, nerd
- 2003 April 6, David X. Cohen, “The Why of Fry”, in Futurama, season 5, episode 8, Fox Broadcasting Company:
  Brain: A quantum-interface bomb? Are you insane in the membrane? / Philip Fry: You got it, Poindexter!
- 2023 August 8, Janan Ganesh, “The oneness of Ron DeSantis and Rishi Sunak”, in Financial Times‎^[1]:
  On first listen, Americans of a certain vintage would call one a Poindexter, while older Brits would regard the other as a swot.

Alternative forms

poindexter

Derived terms

poindexterish