Where does the slang appellation “Poindexter” come from?
It is used to put somebody down, put them in there place, or suggest that they are being foolish, but it is not harsh or offensive.
I don’t hear it all that often, but I hear it once in a while and have been hearing it all my life.
When it first came into used was there a specific person named Poindexter to whom it was a reference?
I don’t know if it originated here, but Poindexter was a cartoon character in Felix the Cat who wore big glasses and was a brainiac. The phrase “ok Poindexter” is usually used to alert someone that they are talking above their audience’s head, giving too much technical information, or otherwise explaining far beyond what is necessary to get their point across.
It’s also a name given to the geeky kid in school who is brainy but socially inept.
I always thought it referred to the US general John Poindexter.
It seems that Poindexter is a name given to nerdy characters. Arnold Poindexter was without a doubt the biggest nerd in the movie Revenge of the Nerds.
I think Cillasi is right, and this website: http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorp.htm agrees with me. I point out that “Felix the Cat” predates “Revenge of the Nerds” by some decades. I also think the slang use of the term predates public awareness of John Poindexter, which was during the Iran/Contra Scandal around 1986.
Another word origin story rooted in cartoons is the slang word nimrod, meaning thick-headed or idiotic. How did the name of a mighty hunter come to mean an idiot? Bugs Bunny applied it ironically to Elmer Fudd. Cool huh?
If memory serves, the Barbie boardgame of the late 50’s (the precursor to Mystery Date, or perhaps a knockoff) had four “dates” you could end up with. One was Poindexter, who was supposedly a nerdy “dud” (as opposed to a “dream”), though my brother and I thought he was the best-looking of the lot.
Blurry picture here: http://www.aardwolfgames.com/images/contents/2598cont.jpg
Wasn’t there a nerdy, scientific “Pointdexter” in the Felix the Cat" strip beginning in the early 1900’s which predates even Sylvester’s note?
Never mind, I see in reading the Poindexter character was introducted in 1959-1960 so he may or may not predate Sylvester’s characteization.
If both are referencing it, it’s possible there may be some popular adventure character in early 1900’s literature that forms the basis for this character(ization).
not to get too far off topic but nimrod was a giant from the bible. i believe equating nimrod with stupid came around in the middle ages when giants were thought to be stupid, big oafs. i think…
<rant>
I swear, I don’t even know why I post here. Everything I say is instantly contradicted. Do you bother to check a dictionary first? No! Wikipedia? Obviously not. How about cracking that Bible open? Try Genesis 10:9 “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” There are online Bibles. Lots of them! Searchable!
</rant>
OK, I grant you that the Bugs Bunny/Nimrod theory is not exactly proven, but the Word Detective thinks it’s true, so unless Cecil himself comes along to contradict, I choose to believe it!
Greg
P.S. What do we think of giants now in our more enlightened times?
We give them sneaker endorsement contracts.
And occasionally rap albums, but we usually all try and forget that unpleasantness ever happened.
