twpsyn

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Welsh twpsyn.

Noun

twpsyn (plural twpsyns)

1. (Wales) A fool or idiot.
   • 2022, Jeri Westerson, Oswald the Thief: A Medieval Caper:

     You have three walnut shells and one pea. The twpsyns gather and you make a show of placing the one pea under one shell, shuffle them about, and the twpsyn guesses where the pea is.

Welsh

Etymology

Originally the singulative of twps.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈtʊpsɨ̞n/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈtʊpsɪn/

Noun

twpsyn m (plural twpsod or typsod or twpsiaid, female equivalent twpsen)

1. fool, idiot, dunce

   Synonyms: ffŵl, chwibol

Derived terms

• twpsyn pum munud yw'r sawl sy'n holi, twpsyn am byth yw'r sawl nad yw'n holi (“a fool for five minutes, someone who asks; a fool for life, someone who doesn't”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of twpsyn

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
twpsyn	dwpsyn	nhwpsyn	thwpsyn

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “twpsyn”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “twpsyn”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies