# How strong an insult is "daft?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 13, 2021, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401 "2021-01-13T04:46:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/1 "2021-01-13T04:46:16Z")
So I know ‘daft’ is an insult, just not _how_ insulting. Is it on par with “You’re a f\_\_\_\_ing idiot” or much milder, like you’re just a _little_ bit dumb? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/2 "2021-01-13T04:49:48Z")
In my experience, it’s a fairly uncommon term in the U.S., and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a lot of Americans don’t really know what it means. I’m familiar with it, mostly from watching TV and movies from England (where it’s more commonly used), and I’d interpret it as “more than just a little bit dumb, but maybe not quite f\*\*\*ing stupid.” ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/3 "2021-01-13T04:53:16Z")
Daft is a common mild/moderate and often jocular insult in the U.K. The common expression that comes most readily to mind is “you daft cunt”, mild mockery that one _man_ might direct toward another _male_ friend who just said or did something foolish. “Daft bint” also comes to mind as a somewhat harsher term for a foolish female. But if you _really_ wanted to insult someone, it’s not a word you’d choose. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/4 "2021-01-13T05:03:48Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’m familiar with it, mostly from watching TV and movies from England (where it’s more commonly used), and I’d interpret it as “more than just a little bit dumb, but maybe not quite f\*\*\*ing stupid.” Rather than just stupid, it implies being a bit crazy as well. I would compare it to looney. It’s basically humorous, not a serious insult. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/5 "2021-01-13T05:57:16Z")
Punks don’t seem to mind it; some of them even embrace the term. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/6 "2021-01-13T07:35:38Z")
I’d say pretty mild, probably on a par with ‘dumb’ in US English, but with an added connotation of ‘a little bit crazy/not all there’. For example, an old lady (I don’t know exactly why, but it seems to me this is a typical person who might say it) might say “you must think I’m going daft” if they thought someone was trying to trick or cheat them in some way. I also remember my mum (who would NEVER swear) using the term “you daft apeth” as an insult, which I believe is a corruption of “daft ha’pennyworth”, i.e. a silly person of little significance. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/7 "2021-01-13T09:11:42Z")
I would say it’s very mild, and generally said with an undercurrent of affection. I would happily say ‘don’t be daft’ to a colleague without fear of being sent to HR, or use the phrase in front of my mother. I would also say it implies a wide variety of meaning - not just dumb, it could also mean silly or jokey. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/8 "2021-01-13T10:47:19Z")
I always assumed it was a version of “daffy”. Am I wrong? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/9 "2021-01-13T10:51:27Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I would say it’s very mild, and generally said with an undercurrent of affection. Yep, it’s a word you’d choose to mildly berate someone who you care enough about to not wish to offend. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/10 "2021-01-13T10:52:57Z")
I guess they mean the same thing - not that I ever here someone use ‘daffy’. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/11 "2021-01-13T10:54:39Z")
I would say it’s very mild and in my experience, it’s almost always self-applied. One might refer to oneself as being daft after absentmindedly failing at some minor task or goal. In actual use, I doubt I’ve ever heard of anyone calling someone else “daft”. The fact that I live in the central plains region of the United States probably has some bearing on that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/12 "2021-01-13T11:04:40Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I also remember my mum (who would NEVER swear) using the term “you daft apeth” My Mum would also use that to us. It’s a great phrase. Usually said when I’ve done something mildly stupid but without consequence. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum\_45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum_45/32/3385_2.png) [@eburacum\_45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum_45)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/13 "2021-01-13T11:06:21Z")
Daft is also sometimes used to describe an infatuation, as in ‘she is daft about him’ or ‘he is daft about her’. Not a particularly severe insult, and especially not when used in this format. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/14 "2021-01-13T11:23:48Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > My Mum would also use that to us. It’s a great phrase. Usually said when I’ve done something mildly stupid but without consequence. Ditto. When I was a child I thought it was something to do with apes. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/15 "2021-01-13T12:49:46Z")
Moved over to IMHO from Café. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/16 "2021-01-13T13:24:03Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > In actual use, I doubt I’ve ever heard of anyone calling someone else “daft”. God, I have, it’s quite standard in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/17 "2021-01-13T13:57:30Z")
Unfortunately, I don’t live there. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/18 "2021-01-13T14:29:49Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I always assumed it was a version of “daffy”. Am I wrong? > > mmm Daffy is probably derived from daft. [Daft](https://www.etymonline.com/word/daft?ref=etymonline_crossreference#etymonline_v_733) goes back to c. 1200, while [daffy](https://www.etymonline.com/word/daffy?ref=etymonline_crossreference) is first referenced in 1884, possibly also influenced by obsolete “daffe,” a halfwit. But the meanings are similar. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/19 "2021-01-13T22:10:24Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I would say it’s very mild, and generally said with an undercurrent of affection. Yep, bang on. Also, IMHO, it’s more of a northern English expression. I’d associate it particularly with Yorkshire and possibly Lancashire. j ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401/20 "2021-01-13T22:16:41Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I always assumed it was a version of “daffy”. Am I wrong? > [@Colibri](#): > > Daffy is probably derived from daft. [Daft](https://www.etymonline.com/word/daft?ref=etymonline_crossreference#etymonline_v_733) goes back to c. 1200, while [daffy](https://www.etymonline.com/word/daffy?ref=etymonline_crossreference) is first referenced in 1884, possibly also influenced by obsolete “daffe,” a halfwit. But the meanings are similar. I didn’t know until now that “daffy” was a real word, I had only ever come across in the cartoon character. Is it in common use in the U.S.? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-strong-an-insult-is-daft/930401.md?page=2)