Yes, dotard is a real word.
Thanks to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who used the word to describe President Donald Trump as “a mentally deranged U.S. dotard” this week, Americans rediscovered an arcane English insult long forgotten.
This was a comeback after Trump called the North Korean leader “Rocket Man.”
Sorry, Trump, you were trumped.
Kim Jong Un insult level: Expert.
It’s a fun word to say, kind-of naughty, rhyming with the schoolyard word we all know not to use, but perfect as a way to describe someone as weak and senile.
We know our president is the king of nicknames, but our rich language provides us with barbs far more sophisticated than “loser terrorists.”
So here are a few forgotten, archaic insults for us to use, excavated especially for this administration. Enjoy.
DORBEL, noun, a scholastic pedant, a dolt, from the Dictionary of the Scots Language. Also used interchangeable with the word “dunce”
DRUXY: adjective, usually referring to wood or timber, having decayed spots in the heartwood, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, but once used to describe people who may seem good on the outside but are rotten within.
CRAPULOUS: adjective, debauched, marked by intemperance, especially in eating or drinking, from Merriam-Webster Dictionary
FOPDOODLE: noun, a stupid or insignificant fellow; a fool; a simpleton, from Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary.
GORMLESS: adjective, lacking intelligence, stupid, from Merriam-Webster Dictionary
GROAK: verb, to look at someone with a watchful or suspicious eye, from Merriam-Webster Dictioner
HONEYFUGGLE: verb, to deceive, cheat or swindle, from Merriam-Webster Dictionary
SCOBBERLOTCHER: noun, someone who avoids hard work like it’s their job, from Dictionary.com
SORNER: noun, a person who takes meat and drink from others by force or menaces, without paying for it, from Black’s Law Dictionary
SNOUTBAND: noun, Old English term for a person who is always interrupting other peoples conversations, from Dictionary.com
WANDOUGHT: noun, A feeble, puny, weak creature; a silly, sluggish, worthless man, another word for impotence, from the Dictionary of the Scots Language.
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Dvorak is a Washington Post columnist.