potato head
1
8.4
- noun
- /pəˈteɪtoʊ hɛd/
- Offensive
- When he tried to fix the car without any experience, I told him he must be a real potato head.
Examples
-
Everyone in the class laughed when he acted like such a potato head during the presentation.
-
Nina always cracks jokes about her brother being a potato head for forgetting his keys.
-
Besides, Nadine's got enough of a cross to bear just taking care of that potato head.
Fiction book (1996)
Synonyms
80
9.9
A rude name for a person who is stupid and annoying
47
8.1
A person who behaves in a foolish way
23
8.7
A person who makes silly mistakes
16
8.8
A rude, silly person who annoys others
16
8.8
A person who is silly and not very smart
14
9.9
A person who acts silly or clumsy and makes others laugh
10
9.2
A person who behaves foolishly and who others often insult with this word
7
9.1
A person who is silly and acts foolishly
4
9.2
A person who is silly and not thinking clearly
3
9.1
A person who often does foolish things or makes simple mistakes
3
9.9
Someone who behaves in a silly or foolish way
3
9.9
A person who behaves in a silly or stupid way
2
9.9
A rude name for a person who is very silly or not smart
2
9.5
A person who is silly and not serious
2
9.8
A person who behaves in a silly or foolish way
2
8.8
A person who acts in a silly or foolish way
2
9.9
A person people insult by saying they are stupid
2
9.5
A childish name used to call someone silly
1
9.9
An unpleasant or foolish person said as an insult
1
8.8
A person who behaves in a silly or foolish way
1
9.1
A playful insult for a person who acts silly
1
8.9
A person who is silly and often forgets things
1
9.8
A rude word for a person who is very stupid
1
9.9
A person who acts foolish or refuses to listen
1
8.4
A rude word for someone who is not smart
1
9.9
A person who is not very smart
1
9.9
An insulting word for a person who does foolish things
1
9.9
A person who acts in a silly, foolish way
1
9.9
A person who acts in a silly or stupid way
1
9.9
A playful name children use for someone acting silly
1
9.9
A person who acts foolishly and lacks common sense
1
9.8
An insulting name for a person who is foolish or lazy
1
9.9
A foolish person who makes simple mistakes
1
9.9
A person who behaves in a silly way
1
9.9
A person who behaves in a silly or careless way
1
9.9
A person who behaves in a foolish way
1
9.9
A person who behaves in a silly way
1
9.9
A rude slang name for someone who acts foolish or makes silly mistakes
1
9.9
An insulting word for a rude or stupid person
1
9.9
An old word for a foolish or silly person
A person who is simple and easily fooled
A foolish person who does silly things
A person who acts silly or foolish
A person who is not very smart
A person who is foolish and lacks common sense
Antonyms
How Foolish
Surface Forms
Morphology
potato + head
The phrase relies on a metaphorical image (a head like a potato) and the somewhat productive noun+head insult pattern (e.g., blockhead, egghead). A B1 learner knowing 'potato' and 'head' could guess it's derogatory about someone's head or intelligence, but the exact sense 'foolish or silly person' is culturally marked and not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Potato head is a playful insult that may come from the image of a plain, round potato or the silly toy with a face, so calling someone's head a potato makes them seem simple or foolish. That's why it means 'a foolish or silly person'.