What is meant by duffer?

Question

who is going to tell me about the correct mean of duffer... can any one difference between duffer and idiot...

Answer 1

As a child I heard the word used as a fond term meaning an elderly person, not an idiot at all, but perhaps a little forgetful, maybe because their brains were full of memories from a lifetime.  In small towns you would often see elderly men sitting on a bench in the park or in front of a local store swapping stories.  They usually knew all the local lore.  At one time I worked in a restaurant, where some retired men gathered to have coffee.  A very thin man, in ragged clothes, came in asking for work.  We had none for him, but the owner gave him a meal, and the coffee drinkers pooled their money to give him what they had.  I think they understood what the man was going through, because they had lived through good and bad times themselves.

Answer 2

A duffer was a term used to describe a pedlar - one who sold wares from door to door or market to market .

Answer 3

Duffer - noun

1. Informal.

   a. a plodding, clumsy, incompetent person.

   b. a person inept or inexperienced at a specific sport, as golf.

2. Northern and North Midland U.S. an old man, esp. a dull or indecisive one.

3. Slang.

   a. anything inferior, counterfeit, or useless.

   b. a peddler, esp. one who sells cheap, flashy goods.

It doesn't appear similar to the word idiot at all!