saphead


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

sap·head

 (săp′hĕd′)
n. Slang
A gullible or foolish person.

sap′head′ed adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

saphead

(ˈsæpˌhɛd)
n
slang a simpleton, idiot, or fool
ˈsapˌheaded adj

saphead

(ˈsæpˌhɛd)
n
(Military) military the end of a sap nearest to the enemy
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sap1

(sæp)

n., v. sapped, sap•ping. n.
1. a watery juice, containing mineral salts and sugar, that circulates through the tissues of a plant.
2. any vital body fluid.
3. energy; vitality.
4. a fool; dupe.
v.t.
5. to drain the sap from.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English sæp, c. Middle Dutch sap, Old High German saf]

sap2

(sæp)

n., v. sapped, sap•ping. n.
1. a trench constructed so as to form an approach to a besieged place.
v.t.
2. to approach (a wall, glacis, or other part of a fortification) with saps, in order to move troops or artillery into a more forward position, or to dig below and undermine the fortification.
3. to weaken insidiously.
[1585–95; < French sape (n.), derivative of saper to dig a trench < Italian zappare]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.saphead - a person who lacks good judgmentsaphead - a person who lacks good judgment  
buffoon, clown - a rude or vulgar fool
bozo, cuckoo, fathead, goof, goofball, jackass, zany, goose - a man who is a stupid incompetent fool
meshuggeneh, meshuggener - (Yiddish) a crazy fool
morosoph - a learned fool
putz - (Yiddish) a fool; an idiot
simpleton, simple - a person lacking intelligence or common sense
wally - a silly and inept person; someone who is regarded as stupid
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in classic literature ?
You don't seem to know anything, somehow -- perfect saphead."
The weakling and the saphead have often great ability to charm the fair sex, while the fighting man who can face a thousand real dangers unafraid, sits hiding in the shadows like some frightened child.
In her introduction to the collection For Keeps, Kael writes, "I tried to be true to the spirit of what I loved about movies, trying to develop a voice that would avoid saphead objectivity and let the reader in on what sort of person was responding to the world in this particular way....