N. ignoramus, dunce, wooden spoon, no scholar, # moron, imbecile, idiot, fool, jerk, nincompoop, asshole, dilettante, sciolist, smatterer, dabbler, half scholar, charlatan, wiseacre, greenhorn, amateur, novice, tyro, numskull, lubber, fool, pedant

Adj. bookless, shallow, ignorant

Phr. "a wit with dunces and a dunce with wits"

N. fool, idiot, tomfool, wiseacre, simpleton, witling, dizzard, donkey, ass, ninny, ninnyhammer, chowderhead, chucklehead, dolt, booby, tom noddy, looby, hoddy-doddy, noddy, nonny, noodle, nizy, owl, goose, goosecap, imbecile, gaby, radoteur, nincompoop, badaud, zany, trifler, babbler, pretty fellow, natural, niais, child, baby, infant, innocent, milksop, sop, oaf, lout, loon, lown, dullard, doodle, calf, colt, buzzard, block, put, stick, stock, numps, tony, bull head, dunderhead, addlehead, blockhead, dullhead, loggerhead, jolthead, jolterhead, beetlehead, beetlebrain, grosshead, muttonhead, noodlehead, giddyhead, numbskull, thickskull, lackbrain, shallowbrain, dimwit, halfwit, lackwit, dunderpate, lunkhead sawney, gowk, clod, clod-hopper, clod-poll, clot- poll, clot-pate, bull calf, gawk, gothamite, lummox, rube, men of boeotia, wise men of gotham, un sot a triple etage, sot, jobbernowl, changeling, mooncalf, gobemouche, dotard, driveler, old fogey, old woman, crock, crone, grandmother, cotquean, henhussy, incompetent (insanity) 503, greenhorn, dunce, lubber, madman, one who will not set the thames on fire, one who did not invent gunpowder, qui n'a pas invente' la poudre, no conjuror

Phr. fortuna favet fatuis, les fous font les festinas et les sages les mangent, nomina stultorum parietibus harrent, stultorum plena sunt omnia

N. dupe, gull, gudgeon, gobemouche, cull*, cully, victim, pigeon, april fool, jay*, sucker*, laughingstock, cyclops, simple simon, flat, greenhorn, fool, puppet, cat's paw

V. be deceived, be the dupe of, fall into a trap, swallow the bait, nibble at the bait, bite, catch a tartar

Adj. credulous, mistaken