# Devaluation of "nimrod" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203 "2015-03-28T13:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/1 "2015-03-28T13:52:40Z")
Thanks to Keegan-Michael Key (of “Key & Peele” fame) I heard a while back that “Nimrod” is a figure of strength in the Bible. So does anybody know how the word “nimrod” came to be a less-than-flattering one? ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/2 "2015-03-28T14:04:03Z")
Nimrod was a hunter; Bugs Bunny would refer to Elmer Fudd as a “little Nimrod” so maybe that’s where the usage got turned from positive to negative. At least that’s what I read - I have no firsthand knowledge of Bugs calling Elmer Fudd a little Nimrod. There are some other explanations here: [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nimrod](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nimrod) ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/3 "2015-03-28T14:19:33Z")
Very helpful. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/4 "2015-03-28T16:27:21Z")
Not “a little Nimrod,” “poor little Nimrod.” It’s a very early Bugs, before he had taken on his current form. He calls Fudd “Nimrod” much as some will address an idiot as “Einstein.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/5 "2015-03-28T16:49:23Z")
You may be right about the origin. My WAG is that the ongoing popularity of “nimrod” as a derogatory term is based on it _sounding_ like an insult. “Nim” brings to mind “dim” and the Orkan insult “[nimnul](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nimnul)”; while the “rod” part makes the word sound like a euphemism for male genitalia. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/6 "2015-03-28T18:58:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > My WAG is that the ongoing popularity of “nimrod” as a derogatory term is based on it _sounding_ like an insult. I can see some sense in that – it rhymes with “dipwad.” ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/7 "2015-03-28T20:39:16Z")
Genesis 10:8 and 10:9 call Nimrod a mighty one inthe earth and a mighty hunter before the lord. And that’s about all the bible says about him. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/8 "2015-03-28T22:33:57Z")
I’d just like to add that Nimrod (pronounced Neem-RODE) is a very common Israeli name. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/9 "2015-03-28T23:53:15Z")
Interestingly, although the biblical references to the name being a mighty hunter, the next appearances occur in English from the 1500’s-late 1600’s and refer to such characters as **tyrants**. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/10 "2015-03-29T12:30:23Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Interestingly, although the biblical references to the name being a mighty hunter, the next appearances occur in English from the 1500’s-late 1600’s and refer to such characters as **tyrants**. Likely because of the tradition that it was Nimrod who ordered the Tower of Babel built. This isn’t outright stated in the Bible, but it can be inferred from Babel being one of the cities Nimrod ruled (see Genesis 10:10). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/11 "2015-03-29T14:12:26Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You may be right about the origin. My WAG is that the ongoing popularity of “nimrod” as a derogatory term is based on it _sounding_ like an insult. “Nim” brings to mind “dim” and the Orkan insult “[nimnul](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nimnul)”; while the “rod” part makes the word sound like a euphemism for male genitalia. However it started, this is clearly the reason it continued. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/12 "2015-03-29T14:41:25Z")
_Cf._ “What a maroon! What an ignoranimus!” ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/13 "2015-03-29T23:37:46Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You may be right about the origin. My WAG is that the ongoing popularity of “nimrod” as a derogatory term is based on it _sounding_ like an insult. “Nim” brings to mind “dim” and the Orkan insult “[nimnul](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nimnul)”; while the “rod” part makes the word sound like a euphemism for male genitalia. Once a word is established as ‘sounding funny’ it’s difficult to be objective. But, nimrod definitely seems to have a certain onomatopoeia-tic prevalence towards sounding goofy\*!\* ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/14 "2015-03-30T11:11:40Z")
I suspect that this is almost entirely confined to the USA. Nimrod to me, is the title of the 9th of Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. It is supposedly a reference to his friend and advisor Augustus Jaeger (Jäger = German for hunter) and Nimrod described as described as ‘_a mighty hunter before the Lord_’. It is a common affectation to use words to mean the opposite of their usual meaning - bad = good, sick = great etc. This is a kind of irony I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/15 "2015-03-30T14:20:44Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > Not “a little Nimrod,” “poor little Nimrod.” It’s a very early Bugs, before he had taken on his current form. He calls Fudd “Nimrod” much as some will address an idiot as “Einstein.” The Scottish philosopher [John Duns Scotus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duns_Scotus)’s work was well received during his life, but became heavily criticized later. Hence, the tradition of calling someone of apparent low intelligence a “dunce”. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/16 "2015-03-30T15:22:43Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You may be right about the origin. My WAG is that the ongoing popularity of “nimrod” as a derogatory term is based on it _sounding_ like an insult. “Nim” brings to mind “dim” and the Orkan insult “[nimnul](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nimnul)”; while the “rod” part makes the word sound like a euphemism for male genitalia. Good point. It _sounds_ like it would mean something akin to “numb nuts,” vaguely insulting one’s manhood without getting too specific. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/17 "2015-03-30T15:34:00Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I suspect that this is almost entirely confined to the USA. Nimrod to me, is the title of the 9th of Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. It is supposedly a reference to his friend and advisor Augustus Jaeger (Jäger = German for hunter) and Nimrod described as described as ‘_a mighty hunter before the Lord_’. It’s not just that. In the UK Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ is now almost exclusively associated with remembrance, specifically with remembrance of the war dead and of the First World War. To make the cliched comparison, it’s the British equivalent of Barber’s _Adagio for Strings_. Moreover, almost no one now gets the Biblical allusion. So the only connotations that the name has are very serious ones indeed. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/18 "2015-03-30T17:10:54Z")
> [@APB](#): > > It’s not just that. In the UK Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ is now almost exclusively associated with remembrance, specifically with remembrance of the war dead and of the First World War. To make the cliched comparison, it’s the British equivalent of Barber’s _Adagio for Strings_. Moreover, almost no one now gets the Biblical allusion. So the only connotations that the name has are very serious ones indeed. Certainly - It is played at remembrance services up and down the country on Nov 11 every year. It is, apparently, also a popular choice at individual funerals, although I do wonder if that might also have a military connection. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/19 "2015-03-30T17:38:09Z")
Nope; plenty of civilians like it too. There is the RAF Nimrod as well; retired in 2011. > **[Hawker Siddeley Nimrod](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Siddeley_Nimrod)** > > The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod is a retired maritime patrol aircraft developed and operated by the United Kingdom. It was an extensive modification of the de Havilland Comet, the world's first operational jet airliner. It was originally designed by de Havilland's successor firm, Hawker Siddeley; further development and maintenance work was undertaken by Hawker Siddeley's own successor companies, British Aerospace and, later, BAE Systems. > Designed in response to a requirement issued by the Royal A... ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203/20 "2015-03-30T19:35:23Z")
[Cuando el Rey Nimrod](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7LCM1DaStI), a classic Ladino song. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devaluation-of-nimrod/716203.md?page=2)