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What is the origin of the term "Poindexter"?

Question #75984. Asked by ruteger.

Related Trivia Topics: Linguistics  
avatar
lanfranco
Answer has 4 votes
Currently Best Answer
lanfranco
20 year member
4170 replies avatar

Answer has 4 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
It comes from a character in the "Felix the Cat" cartoons and refers to someone who is nerdy or geeky:


link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poindexter

Feb 17 2007, 8:51 AM
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satguru star
Answer has 4 votes
satguru star
Moderator
21 year member
1250 replies avatar

Answer has 4 votes.
Simply Latin for 'right hand'. How it ended up as a nerd I can't say, my slang dictionary doesn't have it, and applying to most of the population would seem a pointless nickname unless someone only had the one hand in which case it would make sense.

edited to add:

Just saw the first reply (crossed with mine), I knew the cartoon character but didn't realise it was the first one.

Feb 17 2007, 8:53 AM
Inteligento
Answer has 4 votes
Inteligento

Answer has 4 votes.
Probably misspelled.
But a combination of the two words poignant, meaning keen or strong in mental appeal
and
dexter, meaning on the right side
seems to make sense.
His very intelligent right hand man.

Mar 19 2010, 12:01 AM
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