SMART AND STUPID SLANG EXPRESSIONS
Do you ever long for a colorful slang expression for someone who is bookish, a good student, or for someone else who gets on your nerves because they are slow and make many foolish mistakes? Well, here are several words to choose from. They are guaranteed to spice up your conversations or add some new interest when you tease a friend.
These terms may not be the most current among American teenagers as slang characteristically quickly comes into and goes out of fashion. You may, however, come across some of them in dialogue in contemporary fiction and use them in conversational speech with most Americans.
SMART
especially clever in a practical way smart ass, wise guy:
a negative variation, someone annoyingly clever smart aleck: a young person who is
annoyingly clever
know-it-all: an annoying person who has all the right answers
Intelligent children or young people
bright: very clever and likely to succeed
whiz, whizkid: admired because very successful, though still young
My nephew is one of those computer whiz kids.
Intellectual
egghead: (sometimes bald) someone who
uses his mind rather than emotions
brain: very intelligent and good students. Also “brainy”
double dome: literally, “having two heads”
Quick at Understanding/Making Decisions
sharp/razor sharp: someone who catches
everything
quick on the uptake: quickly learns new things and grasps situations
on the ball: able to react quickly/answer quickly and well
think on one’s feet: able to deal with situations as they arise
STUPID, not intelligent
dumb: (from Pennsylvania “Dutch” – German)
dumb bell, dumb cluck, dumb john, dumb dumb, dumbhead, dummy, dumbo
dumb bunny: (with some affection)
dumb ox: a big person who is very slow thinking
dodo: (from the now extinct bird)
dim, dimwit
newt
STUPID, not sensible
jerk, also Herkimer Jerkimer
bird brained, pea brained
deadhead, bonehead, blockhead,
knucklehead, squarehead,
jughead sap
twerp, turkey
dippy, dilbert
air-head
ding-a-ling: someone who hears bells in his head