to be a nimrod

9.9

Act in a foolish, clumsy way

idiom

Offensive

: portarse como un idiota

Stop being a nimrod and read the instructions carefully this time.

Examples

I told you not to be a nimrod during the interview, but you spilled coffee everywhere.
Why would you be a nimrod in front of your boss?
If you be a nimrod at the meeting again, the boss will not be impressed.
Don't be a nimrod and ignore the warning!
During the presentation, he chose to be a nimrod by making jokes that were not appropriate.
If you continue to be a nimrod in class, your teacher will lose patience with you.
She didn't realize she was being a nimrod until everyone started laughing at her ridiculous comments.

Synonyms

to fool

vsto be a nimrod

Informal

233 1.8

To behave in a silly, playful way and waste time

is about inept or foolish acting without playful or fun intent

to play the fool

vsto be a nimrod

Informal

7 4.6

Act in a silly way to make others laugh or avoid being serious

is unintentional ineptness rather than purposeful silliness for effect

to act a fool

vsto be a nimrod

Informal

3 8.0

To behave in a silly or embarrassing way to get attention

describes unintentional ineptness rather than deliberate showy behaviour

to be a buffoon

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

2 8.1

To act in a silly, embarrassing way to make people laugh

is similar but stresses simple inept or foolish behaviour

to be a dolt

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

1 9.4

Act in a foolish way and ignore good advice

shows inept or foolish behaviour rather than general stupidity

to be a tosser

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

1 9.9

To behave in a rude, stupid way

keeps to foolish or inept behaviour without strong slang insult

to be a numskull

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.5

To do something silly without thinking

focuses on clumsy or inept behaviour rather than thoughtlessness alone

to be a dimmie

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

To act in a silly or stupid way

emphasizes inept or foolish behaviour rather than low intelligence

to be a nerk

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

To do silly things that make problems for yourself

highlights behaving foolishly or ineptly rather than mere incompetence

to be a wally

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

Act in a silly, embarrassing way

focuses on foolishness broadly, not only self embarrassment

to be a booby

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

Act in a silly or stupid way

is broader, covering foolish or generally inept behaviour

to be a clipcock

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

Act in a foolish or careless way

is less about formal incompetence and more about foolish acting

to act like a dumbo

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.6

Behave in a silly or foolish way

focuses on inept or foolish actions rather than insult intent

to act like a peabrain

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.6

Behave in a silly, not very smart way

is about awkward or inept behaviour rather than mere senselessness

to act like a doylem

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

Behave in a silly, clumsy way

covers general foolish acting beyond clumsiness alone

to act like a clodpole

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

To behave in a foolish and clumsy way

is broader, focusing on simple foolish or inept behaviour

to be a tithead

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

Act in a foolish way that can cause trouble

is about behaving foolishly rather than serving as a direct insult

to be a nobber

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

Act in a silly and annoying way

is focused on foolishness itself rather than causing annoyance

to be a dink

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

To behave in a rude or foolish way that annoys other people

centres on simple inept or foolish behaviour without irritation

to be a skaapie

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

Act in a foolish way because you trust people too easily

is about inept or foolish acting rather than simple naivety

to be a chutiya

vsto be a nimrod

Offensive

9.9

To behave in a stupid and rude way

is similar in meaning but stated without the offensive slang tone

Antonyms

wisely

112 2.3

To act with good sense and careful thought

astute

40 6.9

Good at understanding a situation quickly and using it to get an advantage

Surface Forms

be a nimrod infinitive

was a nimrod past

been a nimrod past participle

being a nimrod present participle

is a nimrod third person singular

Morphology

be + a + nimrod

The phrase is a simple copular construction (be + a + noun) so if a learner already knows the noun 'nimrod' as meaning a foolish or inept person, the overall meaning ('to be foolish/inept') follows directly and compositionally. This pattern is cross-linguistically common and therefore immediately transparent to learners who know the constituent meanings (the only barrier is the low frequency of the noun itself).

Etymology

Be a nimrod comes from the name Nimrod, a mighty hunter in the Bible, but a popular cartoon joke changed the sense. In early cartoons, Bugs Bunny called the clumsy hunter Elmer Fudd 'Nimrod' as a joke, and people began using nimrod to mean 'a fool', so 'be a nimrod' now means to act foolishly.