But then they just have one word for smart. “Brilliant”. Like it’s just a matter of candlepower.
Completely incorrect. They also use “clever,” “bright,” “sharp,” “keen,” and many other words, which Americans use, too.
Also: brainiac, boffin, genius, whiz, egghead, wisenheimer, geek, wizard, smart cookie, malapert, smartie pants, witling, smart arse and know-it-all as a sample with contextual variations between complimentary and sarcastic.
Or you could go all archaic and afternoonified and suggest the OP is a sandwich short of a cut lunch.
‘Smart ‘ means something different here.
Yeah those are all secret code for stupid though. “Witty” might be smart-ish, but it’s kind of more or less saying savvy with the gift of gab.
While I am not intimately familiar with colloquial British English, my understanding is that “brilliant” meaning “smart” is more of an American usage. I thought that in British English, “brilliant” usually has a more general meaning of amazing, wonderful, etc.
Here’s a quote from “A Blog from Cambridge Dictionary”:
*The word ‘intelligent’ is often emphasized with the adverb highly. Brilliant is another emphatic way of describing a very intelligent person. *
(Source: Words for describing intelligent people - About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog)
Just wrong. Not even a secret.
They might be used as derogatory, or disparaging or dismissive but then again, so can “brilliant”.
I like Canny, which is a Scottish word that I think means street smart, or clever in a tricky way. I guess it might be related to cunning.
Good one. Thank you. Not sure why I missed it.
Also would seem to be almost exclusively complimentary.
So what does that make the X-Men?
I do think Uncanny comes from Canny. I probably should look it up to be certain.
I mean England seems to have a literary monopoly on stupidity. And I’m not even saying it’s obsessive or dowdy. What I’m saying is.. I WANT IN!
“Pants!”
You mean English? Or just the country?
You mean the American vernacular doesn’t have a word for stupidity? Methinks that would represent such verdant ground, and apparently as yet untapped? Haven’t at least Twain & Bierce waxed lyrical on that topic?
You mean you haven’t considered any other language?