clever Dick
- noun
- Offensive
:
sabelotodo
- He always tries to impress others with his knowledge, but they find him more of a clever Dick than interesting.
Examples
-
Wittgenstein was being a bit of a clever dick, according to how the story is told.
Blog text (34) -
During the meeting, she couldn't resist making a sarcastic comment, just like a typical clever Dick.
-
When he answered every question correctly, it was obvious he was enjoying being a clever Dick.
Synonyms
43
7.4
A person who makes clever or rude jokes to seem smart
30
7.7
A person who acts like they know everything and annoys others
12
9.6
Acting annoyingly clever by making rude or sarcastic remarks
8
9.9
A person who makes rude, clever remarks to annoy others
5
7.5
A person who acts as if they know everything and annoys others
1
9.4
A person who says clever things to annoy or upset others
1
8.5
A person who shows off knowledge and annoys others
Being clever in a way that annoys others by sounding sarcastic
A person or remark that is clever but rude
A rude word people use to praise someone very clever and tricky
How Boastful
- Offensive
28
5.7
- Offensive
- Offensive
5
7.5
- Offensive
1
8.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
clever + Dick
The adjective 'clever' transparently contributes the sense of intelligence, but the noun 'Dick' is a proper name and also slang/pejorative in English, so the full sarcastic/derogatory sense (‘annoyingly showy about intelligence’) cannot be derived by composition alone. A B1 learner who knows the literal meanings may guess someone intelligent, but not the insulting nuance or fixed colloquial usage without prior exposure or cultural knowledge.
Etymology
The phrase clever Dick may come from people joking about a man called Dick who always acted clever and liked to show off. So, calling someone a clever Dick means 'a person who shows off their intelligence'.