pudding-headed, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

pudding-headed adj.

also pudding-face, pudding-head

stolid, stupid.

1726		J. Arbuthnot Learned Dissertation on Dumpling 17: O wou’d [...] this little Attempt of Mine may stir up some Pudding-headed Antiquary to dig his Way through all the mouldy Records of Antiquity .
1759–67		Sterne Tristram Shandy (1949) 111: Such a confused, pudding-headed, muddle-headed fellow.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		W. Irving Hist. of N.Y. (1821) I 5: One of those vagrant genuises who seem sent into the world merely to annoy worthy men of the puddinghead order.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1822		(con. early 17C) W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel III 45: A purse-proud, pudding-headed, fat-gutted, lean-brained Southron.
1838		‘The Gentleman in Black’ in Bentley’s Misc. IV 626: You’re a pudding-headed old fool.
1839		Crim.-Con. Gaz. 10 Aug. 259/1: [T]hat stupid pudding-face soft-headed fellow.
1849		Sam Sly 7 Apr. 2/3: He advises pudding headed Ted H—nt [...] to liquidate his scores before he tries to cut such a swell. Poor fool, he is more to be pitied than blamed.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 103/1: Now, talk that, thau puddin’-’eaded rascal, an’ leave respectable country folks alone.
1869		C.G. Leland ‘Breitmann in Politics’ in Hans Breitmann About Town 57: Und dis vay he pegin it: / ‘Pefore I furder go, / I vish dat my obinions / You puddin-het Dootch should know’.
1870		Leeds Times 7 May 6/2: Uncle Blogg [...] was narrow and ignorant and pudding-headed.
1875		Ariz. Sentinel (Arizona City) 15 Jan. 4/2: Our eyes met a pudding-headed individual.
1888		West. Kansas World 25 Aug. 1/3: It was simply a servant who was commanded to make music for a pudding-headed bishop.
1897		‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer, Detective 63: He was so cheerful and simple-hearted and pudd’n-headed and good.
1905		Minneapolis Jrnl (MN) 26 July 18/1: It proves a worthy soldier may be brave, altho pudding-headed.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 9 Feb. 290: Those pudding-headed Dutch scoundrels have stolen about two thousand of our skins.
1915		Eve. Public Ledger (Phila., PA) 13 Dec. 4/4: The present puddin’-headed war which Henry Ford is stopping.
1920		Marvel 26 June 11: Suppose our judge and his hangman are such pudden-headed idiots as your mugwumps ob a sergeant?
1928		J. Agate Gemel in London 79: Mendelssohn is for the maundring, Puccini for the pudding-headed.
1943		R. Llewellyn None But the Lonely Heart 116: You pudding headed old git, you.
1980		Barltrop & Wolveridge Muvver Tongue 91: A slow or absent-minded person [...] can be called ‘bacon-bonce’ or ‘pudden headed’.
1985		Letters to Time Mag. 24/2: How does ‘pudding-headed Lord Rothermere’ maintain his economic and social position.