clodhopper

== English == === Etymology === Compound of clod +‎ hopper (agentive form of the verb hop). Perhaps affected by analogy with grasshopper. The term originated in the 17th century as a derogatory name for a farm laborer—someone who "hopped" (stomped) over "clods" of earth; attested in the sense of "peasant" since the seventeenth century; the extended sense of "boot" or "shoe" dates from the nineteenth century. While originating in Britain, the term survives most strongly in Southern/Appalachian speech. === Pronunciation === (General American) IPA(key): /ˈklɑdˌhɑpɚ/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈklɒdˌhɒpə/ === Noun === clodhopper (plural clodhoppers) (footwear) A strong shoe for heavy-duty use; a boot. (US) Any shoe construed (within a particular context) as ungainly. (military slang) United States Navy ankle length work shoes, distinct from dress shoes or combat boots. (by extension) To refer to generally big feet or the foot of a clumsy person. (UK) A clumsy or foolish person. Synonym: oaf (historical, derogatory) A peasant or yokel (countryperson). Near-synonyms: bumpkin, hick (obsolete) A farmer or plowman. Wheatear: any of various passerine birds. ==== Synonyms ==== clodknocker ==== Related terms ==== clodhopperish ==== Translations ==== === See also === (shoe construed as ungainly): hooves (a person's feet construed as big, clumsy, and intrusive) === References === === Further reading === "Clod Hopper". LiteraryDevices.net. "clodhopper". Green’s Dictionary of Slang.