burros, idiotas, ignorantes
1. people who are slow at learning or who lack intelligence; stupid persons
The teacher called the students dunces for not understanding the simple math problem.
A professora chamou os alunos de burros por não entenderem o simples problema de matemática.
2. people who make foolish or silly mistakes
What dunces we were to forget the reservation at the restaurant!
Que burros fomos ao esquecer a reserva no restaurante!
The term 'dunce' has historical roots in the name of John Duns Scotus, a medieval philosopher, and became popularized in the 16th-17th centuries as an insult. In American schools, the dunce cap was historically used as a form of public shaming. In modern usage, it remains a common insult in English-speaking cultures, though considered somewhat dated or harsh. In Brazilian Portuguese, 'burro' (literally 'donkey') is the equivalent informal insult, while 'idiota' and 'ignorante' are more direct translations.
NYC Slang
jamokes, knuckleheads, mooks
Related Idioms & Phrases
dunce cap - a conical hat historically worn as punishment
call someone a dunce - to insult someone's intelligence
no dunce - someone who is intelligent or competent
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