Masculine

Tölpel

Meaning

  1. (masculine,strong) someone who acts in a clumsy or awkward way (physically or socially)
  2. (masculine,strong) idiot, fool, dolt
  3. (masculine,strong) gannet (a sea bird)

Synonyms

Kretin

Tollpatsch

Strohkopf

Bekloppter

Torfkopf

Pappnase

Mestize

Pipi machen

Tölpelhaftigkeit

Bauerntrampel

dummes Zeug

Truller

Blitzbirne

Blödian

Pelzjacke

Blödel

Kasperl

ungeschickter Mensch

Elefant im Porzellanladen

Spatzenhirn

Dumpfbacke

Heusamen

Minderbemittelter

Torfnase

dumme Nuss

en Beschmierten

trübe Tasse

Halbdackel

Halbgescheiter

Nullchecker

Vollhorst

Hein Blöd

Pannemann

Sacklpicker

keine Leuchte

Napfsülze

Dösbaddel

dummes Huhn

Armer im Geiste

Blödi

Denkzwerg

geistiger Tiefflieger

Hohlfigur

Knallidiot

geistige Null

Dummrian

Hohlbirne

Tuppe

dummes Schaf

Todel

Dolm

Dummbartel

Unbeholfener

Hiefler

Bauernlümmel

Frequency

C2
Dialects

Basel-Landschaft

Basel-Landschaft

dildap

Basel-Landschaft

Basel-Landschaft

dollwegg

Basel-Landschaft

Basel-Landschaft

guetschigg

Data provided by: Deutsch-Schweizerdeutsches Wörterbuch

Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈtœlpəl/
Etymology

In summary

From a merger of dialectal tolp (with variants; of unknown, probably onomatopoetic, origin) and Middle High German dörpel, itself dissimilated from dörper, from Middle Low German dorper (“villager”), from dorp (“village”). Both of these words meant “rude, gruff person”, and dörper/dörpel particularly “uncultured, unrefined person”. The name of the bird is due to its apparently clumsy movements.

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