bampot

n. a crazy person; a fool or dolt. Subjects: Scots, Scotland

Etymological Note: Most likely a form of barmpot. According to OED, barm, “the froth that forms on top of fermenting malt liquors; the head of a beer,” is used attributively as a formative to indicate a crazy or feeble-minded person or idea. This is, obviously, related to barmy or balmy ‘crazy.’ Thanks to Michael Quinion for the tip on bampot’s etymology. Probably not related to the Irish Gaelic bambairne ‘dolt, stupid person, lout.’ In “Some Modern Irish loanwords describing people” (Celtica vol. 18, p. 53, 1986, School of Celtic Studies, Dublin) Mícheál Ó Siadhail connects bambairne to the old Spanish slang bambarria, which, according to the Velasquez Spanish and English Dictionary (1985, New Win Publishing) means ‘a fool; an idiot.’ Bambarria is glossed as “blockhead” in Carnoy, Albert. “Apophony and Rhyme Words in Vulgar Latin Onomatopoeias. American Journ. of Philology. vol. 38, no. 3. (1917) 271.

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Citations: 1988 Sharyn McCrumb Paying the Piper (Nov. 13) p. 27: All the old bampot wanted to do was measure stone circles and to prove his engineering theory. 1990 Andrew Rawnsley Guardian (U.K.) (Mar.29) “The Day in Politics: Border skirmish has Sassenachs out in force”: Labour’s Scots erupted in uproar, shouting “Ye silly bampot” at Mr Greenway and the old dialect phrase: “goo boil ye heed.” 1993 [Jack Campin] Usenet: soc.culture.celtic (July 13) “Re: Help with a kilt!”: “Bampot,” or “bam” for short, means something like “self-important obsessionally deluded fruitcake.” 2002 Pamela Stephenson Billy (Sept. 11) p. 115 @ (Dec. 1, 2003): He was highly embarrassed by his son, the bampot, or crazy, welder with hair like a woman and two earrings. 2003 One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night (May 1) “Christopher Brookmyre” p. 50: Sociopath, psychopath, whatever you like, Matt had always preferred bampot. Not a bampot but the bampot; the absolute quintessence of bampottery. 2005 Magnus Linklater Times (London, England) (Aug. 13) “Labour Party at prayer salutes Cook the atheist”: “What a bampot,” muttered another (bampot being a peculiarly Scottish word for idiot.)

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