different between numskull vs galah

English

Alternative forms

• numbskull

Etymology

numb (“deadened”) +? skull

Noun

numskull (plural numskulls)

1. (derogatory) A dunce, mentally dull or stupid person.
2. (derogatory) A person who refuses to learn or grow mentally.

   That numskull will never learn how to compose a letter.

3. A traditional name for a fool who serves as the butt of jokes about stupidity.

Synonyms

• airhead
• bubblehead
• thickhead
• See also Thesaurus:fool
• See also Thesaurus:idiot

Derived terms

• numpty, numptie

Translations

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

English

Etymology

From Gamilaraay gilaa.

• (fool): From the bird. A connection with Malay gila (“mad”) has been suggested, but this explanation has not gained acceptance.

Pronunciation

Noun

galah (plural galahs)

1. A pink and grey species of cockatoo, Eolophus roseicapilla, native to Australia.
   • 1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber 2003, p. 434:

     There were red-tailed cockatoos, casuarina cockatoos, a little corella and a galah.

   • 2005, David Lindenmayer, Mark A. Burgman, Practical Conservation Biology, page 175,

     The Galah has benefited from changes in the environment brought about by human activities (Rowley, 1990; Saunders and Ingram, 1995; Forshaw, 2002). The Galah?s diet is predominantly seeds, especially those from cereal crops and agricultural weeds.

2. (Australia, slang) A fool, an idiot.

   That galah nearly drove me off the road.

   • 1991, Patricia Shaw, River of the Sun, unnumbered page,

     ‘Don?t just stand there, you great galah, lend a hand here!’ Billy Kemp shoved Edmund towards the longboat. ‘Get it free. The lads are bringing up the casks.’

   • 1999, Bryce Courtenay, Solomon's Song, unnumbered page,

     ‘But, Sergeant, I reckon a man would look a proper galah falling about with an empty rifle, going click, click, click, “bang you?re dead” when he wasn?t doing rifle drill on parade, like when it?s not official, know what I mean?’ one of the infantrymen volunteers.

   • 2006, John Chalmers, The Professional Guest, page 13,

     ‘ […] Then you will strut around like a great galah tryin? to impress the sheilas about what a fuckin? big iron ore miner you are.’

Synonyms

• (fool): drongo

Derived terms

• galah session

Translations

See also

• cockatiel
• cockatoo
• corella

References

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?alah/
• Rhymes: -alah, -lah, -ah

Noun

galah (Jawi spelling ?????, plural galah-galah, informal 1st possessive galahku, impolite 2nd possessive galahmu, 3rd possessive galahnya)

1. pole, stake

Further reading

• “galah” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.