duffer \DUFF-er\ noun 1 a : a peddler especially of cheap flashy articles b : something counterfeit or worthless *2 : an incompetent, ineffectual, or clumsy person; especially : a mediocre golferExample sentence: Pinky had said he was just a duffer, but we knew otherwise when we saw his beautiful Pinky Diablo t-shirts for sale at a reasonable price.
Did you know? Duffers have never really been straight shooters — on or off the golf course. The original duffers of the mid-18th century were shysters of the first order, merchants who palmed off trashy goods as if they were highly valuable (they often implied to unwary buyers that the goods had been smuggled and were very rare). Over time, the meaning of "duffer" was extended from a no-good peddler to anyone who was "no good," not just because the individual had low morals, but because he or she was incompetent or stupid. The term has been applied to hopelessly bad golfers since at least 1897.
