As a French, I have another explanation. The french equivalent to a "dunce cap" is "bonnet d'âne". "bonnet" means "cap" and "âne" means "donkey", so "bonnet d'âne" literally translates into "asshat".
It is probably not the true origin of the word, but it is not impossible either. Also, words can have several origins.
Multiple origins are probably more common than we think. We tend to be biased to want to see singular causes of things, but language is often a murky soup full of feedback cycles.
In the example you gave, if it is not an origin, it could at least be a lingual context that supports the expression, because it does not contradict it.
Language evolution must be full of nuances like that, that we can barely observe.
A minor issue with that reasoning is that it doesn't explain why you might use the word asshat to refer to a person who is wearing an asshat. Asshatter would make a bit more sense, akin to brownnoser. On the other hand, I guess words like fatass have this same problem of equating the person with something the person possesses.
Whether you’re talking about The Crown as the queen, The Whitehouse as the executive branch, or the pen being mightier than the sword, metonymy is a common linguistic device that uses a part as a metaphor for the whole.
> On the other hand, I guess words like fatass have this same problem of equating the person with something the person possesses.
On the third hand, I'm not sure that "fatass" really means "your ass is fat" specifically; I've always understood it to mean "you are fat, and an ass." That is, I take it in this respect to be like "dumbass": "you are dumb, and an ass", not "your ass is dumb".
I've never been aware of your interpretation. I've always understood "fat-ass" to just mean "fat," or perhaps closely-associated derogatory traits like "sedentary" or "lazy."
> I've never been aware of your interpretation. I've always understood "fat-ass" to just mean "fat," or perhaps closely-associated derogatory traits like "sedentary" or "lazy."
Yes, that is my interpretation—unless you mean to dispute my claim that "fat-ass" means "fat, and an ass" by asserting instead that "-ass" is a meaningless intensifier. I'm also OK with that interpretation; what I mean to reject is the interpretation that "fat-ass" means anything specifically about a fat ass, as opposed to fatness in general.
As a French, I have another explanation. The french equivalent to a "dunce cap" is "bonnet d'âne". "bonnet" means "cap" and "âne" means "donkey", so "bonnet d'âne" literally translates into "asshat".
It is probably not the true origin of the word, but it is not impossible either. Also, words can have several origins.