pillock

English

Etymology

In the 16th century, the meaning was "penis". Probably from pillicock (“penis; boy, man”), presumably akin to the slang term dickhead (“inept fool”). Alternatively, from the same basis as pillicock (compare regional Norwegian pill (“penis”)) + the diminutive suffix -ock.

Pronunciation

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

pillock (plural pillocks)

1. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, derogatory, slang) A stupid or annoying person; a simpleton; a fool.
   • 1970 October 27, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Butcher Who is Alternately Rude and Polite‎^[1]:

     What is it now, you great pillock?

   • 2021 March 19, Bosnian Ape Society, 3:55 from the start, in Is Your Car Safe From Supermaneuverable Air-Defense Fighter Aircraft?‎^[2], archived from the original on 7 August 2022:

     Take your Typhoon up there and swat the annoying mosquito out of the sky by challenging the infantile pillock to a classic World-War-II-era dogfight like a real man, to show them who the real king of European airspace is.

Synonyms

• (UK, Ireland, derogatory, slang, stupid or annoying person): wazzock, plonker

Translations

a stupid person

• Dutch: stomkop (nl), eikel (nl) m
• French: blaireau (fr) m, boulet (fr) m
• German: Trottel (de)
• Russian: дура́к (ru) m (durák), о́лух (ru) m (ólux), идио́т (ru) m (idiót), балбе́с (ru) m (balbés), балда́ (ru) m or f (baldá), болва́н (ru) m (bolván), дурале́й (ru) m (duraléj)

Anagrams

• Pollick, lip lock, lip-lock, liplock