a lazy person

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birdeen's call

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Which noun are you most likely to use to mean a lazy person? My guess is "an idler". Are you at all likely to call them a loon?

It it at all possible to call such a person a sloth? I never saw this word used to mean a person but I know that there's an animal called that. In Polish, we do sometimes call lazy people by the name of that animal. Is it possible in English?
 

emsr2d2

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Which noun are you most likely to use to mean a lazy person? My guess is "an idler". Are you at all likely to call them a loon?

It it at all possible to call such a person a sloth? I never saw this word used to mean a person but I know that there's an animal called that. In Polish, we do sometimes call lazy people by the name of that animal. Is it possible in English?

"Idler" is a perfectly good word but I've never used it!

You can also use "sloth" though again it's not very common.

I might call them a "layabout", but normally I would probably just say "He's such a lazy person!"

I certainly wouldn't call them a loon - in BrE, that's another word for a crazy person (also "loony").
 

birdeen's call

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Thank you! When you call such a person a sloth, is it because of the animal?

My problems with the word "loon" come from the entry in Wikionary: loon - Wiktionary

The first meaning is: "idler, lout". Now, I know an idler is a lazy person and a lout is a trouble-making person, a hooligan. Does it mean that they mean a person who is both an idler and a lout at once? Indeed, hooligans are not workaholics usually.

Only one Scottish meaning is "a crazy person" but, later, this appears in the "synonyms" section (and in the "etymology" one) quite out of the blue for a person who just finished reading the main part of the entry...
 

emsr2d2

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Thank you! When you call such a person a sloth, is it because of the animal?

My problems with the word "loon" come from the entry in Wikionary: loon - Wiktionary

The first meaning is: "idler, lout". Now, I know an idler is a lazy person and a lout is a trouble-making person, a hooligan. Does it mean that they mean a person who is both an idler and a lout at once? Indeed, hooligans are not workaholics usually.

Only one Scottish meaning is "a crazy person" but, later, this appears in the "synonyms" section (and in the "etymology" one) quite out of the blue for a person who just finished reading the main part of the entry...

I've looked at Wiktionary and The Free Dictionary and found that there are many definitions of the word "loon" that I hadn't heard before. I think you would need to ask someone who actually uses the word "loon" to mean "lazy person" exactly what they understand it to mean.

I realised that "slob" is another word that I might use. This brings to mind a rather overweight person, slouching on the sofa, watching TV and eating junk food all day and generally being very lazy.
 

birdeen's call

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I realised that "slob" is another word that I might use. This brings to mind a rather overweight person, slouching on the sofa, watching TV and eating junk food all day and generally being very lazy.
Thanks, I knew the word but I didn't think of it! I always associated slobs with too much food more than with too little activity... ;-)
 

riquecohen

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In AmE, slob is a contemptuous term associated with extreme carelessness about one´s appearance, habits related to hygiene, or the state of his home. While this may result from laziness, it is not necessarily a factor. I once had a brilliant university professor who was a bit of a slob.
 

emsr2d2

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In AmE, slob is a contemptuous term associated with extreme carelessness about one´s appearance, habits related to hygiene, or the state of his home. While this may result from laziness, it is not necessarily a factor. I once had a brilliant university professor who was a bit of a slob.

Yes, I agree although the laziness there is with his appearance, not a general character trait.

In BrE, if we're feeling very lazy and just want to spend the evening doing nothing but sitting down watching TV, for example, we might say:

I'm just going to slob on the sofa all evening.

Obviously, here, "slob" is used as a verb but it has the same connotation.
 

Susan612

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Slacker is another term that comes to mind.
 

riquecohen

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Thanks, I knew the word but I didn't think of it! I always associated slobs with too much food more than with too little activity... ;-)

I´ve just remembered an epithet from my chidlhood: fat slob.
 
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