Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Question 148

This is an English word usually meant to describe a person who is silly, foolish, stupid, and/or useless. The actual origins of the term are unknown, but some people speculate that it was coined by British playwright William Wycherley in 1676. Other people believe the word stems from the Latin phrase 'non compos mentis', i.e. 'not of sound mind.In 2007, a survey among 2000 Britons revealed that it was the nation's favourite word out of 16,500 entries in the Cambridge Dictionary. What word?

Answer:Nincompoop which is so often heard in Tintin comics.