jerk
A fool is generally referred to as a stupid or clumsy person with limited intelligence .
The now pejorative expression Dorftrottel is a name for a local eccentric who may be mentally handicapped, but at least meets the above description.
The name probably comes from idiot - the original name for the slow, leisurely horse walk - and is related to trotting (running, stepping) and trotting , hence also with pavement (sidewalk) and scooter (scooter), trott ( grape press or wine cellar) ).
Appropriate adjectives are as goofy and sappy . The word idiot came from Upper German into the written language in the 19th century and still referred to a person with a clumsy walk .
There are many versions depending on the dialect . Increasingly, forms of increase such as full idiot , obedient idiot or megatrottel are used. In eastern Austria the word trample is used for women in a similar context , in southern Austria Treapn .
Trivia
The steam railcar of the BBÖ DT 1 had the nickname Dorftrottel because of its abbreviation and its use on rural branch lines .
