Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) a stupid, clumsy, socially inept person.

1925		H. Leverage ‘Dict. Und.’ in Flynn’s mag. cited in Partridge DU (1949).
1956		Gerald Green Last Angry Man 411: He sits there with his stupid wife, and the big klutz of a son.
1960		(con. 1930s) R. Barber Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968) 252: Whatsa matter with you klutzes up onna stairs?
1961		J. Kirkwood There Must Be a Pony! 101: He was a real klutz with the camera.
1966		Current Sl. I:1 2/1: Clutz A backward person. [Ibid.] I:3 5/2: Klutz, n. An awkard, clumsy, or stupid person.
1970		Time 2 Nov. 83: Basically I’m the klutz who makes a terrific entrance to the party and then trips and falls and walks around with food in her hair.
1972		E. Grogan Ringolevio 120: Both clutzes were pushed into the street.
1981		W. Boyd ‘Not Yet, Jayette’ in On the Yankee Station (1982) 21: She’s a real klutz.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 373: Next to the wooden steering wheel, you klutz!
2000		Indep. Rev. 2 Feb. 7: ‘You’re a sport’ is usually what we say to some poor klutz after we’ve made his life a little bit worse.
2012		H. Fitzgerald ‘Killing Mum and Dad’ in Crime Factory: Hard Labour [ebook] It is mortifying to die a klutz .
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 334: The relief of a smooth landing. The applause from the downstairs clutzes who clap was audible.