What is a Half-Wit?
The term half-wit is said to have been coined during the late 17th century to describe someone who believes he or she is truly witty and informed, but noticeably lacks the intellectual and social skills necessary. In the original sense, a half-wit would not necessarily be a dullard or an idiot, just someone whose reach on wittiness far exceeded his or her grasp. The meaning later shifted to include those who were indeed uneducated or foolish. A half-wit is generally more high functioning mentally than a moron or an idiot, but the results are generally the same. A true half-wit might take on a complicated project but lack the common sense to correct problems along the way or foresee potential problems. The idea or project may be perfectly reasonable, but the execution could be considered half-witted. Building a new prison would be a laudable goal, for example, but locating it next to an elementary school would be the work of a half-wit. The best way to describe a half-wit might be dange
