charlie
charlie — noun
- charliesingular
- charliesplural
1. British slang for someone who behaves stupidly or is easily made to look foolish
British slang for someone who behaves stupidly or is easily made to look foolish, often because they have been tricked or have made an embarrassing mistake.
Tuan felt a right charlie when he realised he was in the wrong meeting room.
collocation: a right charlie
The other kids called Ignacio a charlie for believing their story about a school ghost.
collocation: called [someone] a charlie
Haruto looked a proper charlie wearing a thick winter coat on a baking-hot July afternoon.
Luca admitted he was a bit of a charlie and apologised for wasting everyone's time.
Tunde queued like a charlie for an hour before realising the offer was a joke.
- fool
the most general synonym; 'fool' is neutral anywhere in the English-speaking world, while 'charlie' is distinctly British and informal
- idiot
stronger and more insulting than 'charlie'; 'idiot' can be offensive, whereas 'charlie' is often said in a teasing or affectionate tone
- simpleton
more old-fashioned and less common in everyday speech; implies a lack of intelligence rather than a one-off silly act
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in British informal speech. The word is often paired with intensifying phrases such as 'a right', 'a proper', 'a bit of a', or 'like a' before 'charlie'.