Poine Dexter?

[WILLASS]

Can anyone tell me where the american expression ‘Poine Dexter’ (spelling?) comes from? I suspect it might be an old TV character or something but I really have no idea.

[Acsenray]

I don’t know of any such expression. Perhaps you’re referring to using the name “Poindexter” to mean something like “nerd” or “upper-class twit.” It has to do with the association of the name “Poindexter” with overly studious chaps and, well, upper-class twits.

[bordelond]

One theory, from a British site yet:

Fans of the cartoon Felix the Cat will remember, his genius nephew Poindexter. (How can a cat have a human nephew?) Felix was created in the early part of the 20th century by cartoonist, Otto Messmer. His protege, Joe Oriolo added more characters to the cartoon cast - probably in the 20’s. Poindexter was one of these. I’m unsure whether ‘poindexter’ came to mean a nerd because of the cartoon character or whether it existed as a term prior to the Felix cartoons. I suspect the latter. In any case, ‘poindexter’ used to describe a nerd is probably much older than the 1980’s.

[WILLASS]

Thanks bordelond, that looks like the daddy-o!..if the character was named after the word was coined then where did that come from?

[bordelond]

Another slightly different take, with the Felix the Cat connection in common:

**Poindexter has been an American slang term for an egghead or nerd for decades, but how did the name come to be associated with really smart people. The answer is cartoons. The cartoon character Felix the Cat, creation of Otto Messmer, made his screen debut in 1919, making him one of the most venerable animated characters in existence.

In 1958, Felix made his television debut and for the TV series Felix’s new animator, Joe Oriolo, introduced a number of new characters and foils for Felix. Among these were Felix’s archnemesis The Professor and his brainy nephew, Poindexter. Allegedly, Oriolo named Poindexter after his lawyer. The popularity of the cartoon ensured that the name Poindexter would be forever associated with intelligence.**

In my first cite, the author only speculates that “poindexter = nerd” was in use before Oriolo created the Poindexter character. This site, on the other hand, puts forth (with the “allegedly” caveat) that Oriolo named the character after a real person.

[Walloon]

Most sources say that the character Poindexter was not introduced until the animated television series in 1958, not the 1920s. Considering that Joe Oriolo, credited with creating Poindexter, was born in 1913, the 1958 date does seem more likely. The inspiration for Poindexter is said to be “[Oriolo’s] lawyer, Emmet Poindexter … a short, intelligent man who wore heavy black glasses.”