What is the difference between an idiot and a blithering idiot?

[MikeG]

I ask this question after watching the PBS special on evangelicals.

[salinen]

1. W

[Ksec]

2. Cheney and Bush?

[NMDemDist2]

3. an idiot speaks nonsense, a blithering idiot speaks nonsensically?

[evil_orange_cat]

4. one blithers, the other doesn't...

w00t ;)

[jobycom]

9. You hit "Post" before me, eh?

:-)

[Sparkly]

5. Blithering idiots don't know they're idiots?

So they think the world needs their blithering.

[jobycom]

6. The latter just happens to be blithering. Otherwise, they are the same. nt

[Junkdrawer]

7. 43-41 = 2

:evilgrin:

[dweller]

11. 2

an idiot and a blithering idiot.

thanks, gotcha,
dp

[Burma Jones]

8. One was George H.W. Bush's VP and the other, his son. (n/t)

[MikeG]

10. I think we need to save "blithering" for special cases.

Lest it lose its effect.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Seriously ...

'Blithering' comes from the Scots 'blether', to 'talk fluent, garrulous nonsense'.

So Rumsfeld is a blithering idiot. Bush is just an idiot.

[Muddleoftheroad]

13. One only says he'll vote for Nader

The other does vote for Nader.

[oblivious]

14. emphasis, I guess

like 'idiot' and 'stupid idiot' -- 2nd is redundant but more emphatic.

It's not a nice word, is it. Wasn't it originally used along with 'moron' and 'imbecile' to categorize different levels of mental retardation?
I think 'imbecile' had the lowest intelligence, then 'moron', with 'idiot' the smartest of the three. Or maybe 'moron' was the smartest. Hmm, I better look that up. Don't want to be misclassifying people.