real nobber
- noun
- Offensive
:
imbécil
- He made a scene at the restaurant and looked like a real nobber.
Examples
-
She called him a real nobber after his silly prank.
-
After he interrupted the meeting with a bad joke, they all saw him as a real nobber.
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Don't be a real nobber when we're out with friends.
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Don't be such a real nobber!
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He is a real nobber sometimes.
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Don't be a real nobber; your antics are embarrassing everyone.
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She called her brother a real nobber for dancing like a fool in public.
Synonyms
6
9.9
A foolish or annoying person
5
9.2
A person who behaves foolishly and who others often insult with this word
1
9.9
A person who acts silly or clumsy and makes others laugh
1
9.9
A person who annoys others by acting foolish
1
9.9
A person who behaves very rudely and foolishly
1
9.9
A person who behaves in a foolish way
A person who acts very foolishly and cannot do simple tasks
A foolish or silly person said as an insult
A person who acts silly so others tease or laugh at them
Antonyms
How Annoying
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from the intensifier 'real' (very) plus 'nobber' (a foolish or irritating person), so its meaning 'a very foolish/irritating person' is directly derivable from the parts. Although informal/slang, the intensifier + noun pattern is a standard and transparent construction, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.
Etymology
Real nobber may come from the old slang nob, a word for someone who acts like they are important; imagine a loud, showy person doing silly or rude things. So calling someone a real nobber paints that picture and means 'someone who behaves foolishly or in an irritating manner'.