duffer
UK[ˈdʌfə(r)]US[ˈdʌfər]
n
A person who is incompetent or slow at something, especially at playing golf.
n
A stupid or inept person.
Etymology
The origin of 'duffer' is obscure, but it likely emerged in 18th-century British slang. One plausible theory connects it to the Scots word 'duffar', meaning an incompetent or dull person. Another suggests a link to 'duff', a dialect term for dough, implying a soft or stupid individual. By the mid-19th century, it was firmly established in English, initially describing a peddler of cheap or fake goods (a "duffer of pins") before its meaning narrowed to denote general incompetence, particularly finding a lasting niche in the lexicon of golf.
Analysis
The word 'duffer' is a simplex word. It does not break down into productive, meaningful morphemes in modern English. It functions as a single lexical unit.
Examples
He's a complete duffer when it comes to fixing anything around the house.
Despite years of lessons, she still felt like a duffer on the golf course.
The old comedy often featured a bumbling duffer as the main character.