ding-a-ling

noun

ˈdiŋ-ə-ˌliŋ 

: nitwit, kook

Synonyms

• berk [British]
• booby
• charlie [British]
• charley
• cuckoo
• ding-dong
• dingbat
• dipstick
• doofus [slang]
• featherhead
• fool
• git [British]
• goose
• half-wit
• jackass
• lunatic
• mooncalf
• nincompoop
• ninny
• ninnyhammer
• nit [chiefly British]
• nitwit
• nut
• nutcase
• simp
• simpleton
• turkey
• yo-yo

Examples of ding-a-ling in a Sentence

some ding-a-ling set off the fire alarm by burning paper in a wastebasket

Word History

Etymology

reduplication of ding entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1935, in the meaning defined above