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Glite Dictionary
dobie

dobie

9.9
A Doberman dog and sometimes a slang name for a foolish person
  • noun
  • /ˈdoʊbi/
  • Slang
translation icon : doberman
  • When he tried to tell a joke, everyone just stared at him, as if he were a complete dobie.

Examples

  • It's like I'm saying "your dog bit me" and you're saying, "Yeah, but he's only a dobie, not a mastiff."

    Blog text (32)

  • any hero could arise and taking the only way I know stop a dobie is if you grab it by the throat

    The Doberman Gang (1972)

  • The dobie, right?

    Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

  • My neighbor has a dobie that barks at everyone who walks by.

  • The dobie happily ran around the yard, showing off its shiny coat and playful personality.

Synonyms

dope
vsdobie
  • Offensive
53 8.2

A person who acts in a stupid or foolish way

is also used as a casual dog name rather than only as an insult
pooch
vsdobie
  • Informal
49 7.7

A small friendly dog kept as a pet

refers specifically to a single breed or sometimes to a foolish person
dolt
vsdobie
  • Offensive
15 8.8

A person who is not very smart or who acts without thinking

is used sometimes for a foolish person but mainly means the dog in slang
Doberman
vsdobie
  • US
3 3.6

A large, strong dog with short black and tan fur used to guard homes

is the casual, slang form used instead of the formal breed name
doof
vsdobie
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A person who acts in a silly or foolish way

is used as a casual dog name or, less often, to call someone foolish
dobe
vsdobie
  • Informal
9.7

A large, alert dog with a short coat often used for police work

is the slang variant identified by an alternate spelling and casual tone

Surface Forms

dobie singular
dobies plural

Morphology

dobie = doberman (transparent) = doberman + ie

A familiar, clipped/diminutive form of 'doberman' formed with the affectionate suffix '-ie', so the referent (a Doberman dog) is clear to learners who know 'doberman'.

Etymology

Dobie comes from the dog breed Doberman, named after the man who first bred them, so dobie usually means 'a Doberman dog'. Sometimes people also use dobie as a joke for 'a foolish person', but this is less common and feels like a nickname.