lummox

English

Alternative forms

• lummock, lummocks, lummux

Etymology

Unknown. First attested in 1825 in East Anglian slang. Perhaps from "dumb ox", influenced by lumbering; or from or cognate to dialectal verb lummock (“move about heavily or clumsily”), itself a word of uncertain origin.

Pronunciation

• enPR: lŭmʹəks, IPA^(key): /ˈlʌməks/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌməks

Noun

lummox (plural lummoxes)

1. (informal) A clumsy, stupid person; an awkward bungler.

   You've broken the plates, you great lummox!

   • 2000, Louis Mellis, David Scinto, Sexy Beast (motion picture), spoken by Don Logan (Ben Kingsley):

     I love you, Gal. You're lovable. Big lovable bloke. Loveable lump. Loveable lummox. Gal Dove, party boy. Big oaf.

Translations

clumsy, stupid person

• Dutch: lomperd (nl), vlegel (nl), vlerk (nl)
• Finnish: tohelo (fi), köntys (fi)
• French: rustre (fr) m, mufle (fr) m, goujat (fr) m, empoté (fr) m, abruti (fr) m, boulet (fr) m
• Greek: παιδοβούβαλος m (paidovoúvalos), ατσούμπαλος (el) m (atsoúmpalos), άγαρμπος (el) m (ágarmpos)
• Spanish: bobo (es) m
• Swedish: klumpeduns (sv)

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “lummocks n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang