{"id":3736,"date":"2022-05-18T16:16:33","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T16:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3736"},"modified":"2022-05-18T16:16:33","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T16:16:33","slug":"sharpest-tool-in-the-shed-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/sharpest-tool-in-the-shed-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharpest Tool in the Shed \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to describe someone as stupid without being overly rude? If so, you could say that they aren\u2019t \u201cthe sharpest tool in the shed<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cthe sharpest tool in the shed<\/em>\u201d refers to someone\u2019s intelligence or lack thereof. In the 90s, it was common for people to refer to intelligent and quick-witted people as \u201csharp<\/em>.\u201d Therefore, if you\u2019re dull or slow at responding to questions and uninteresting to talk to in conversation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, referring to someone as \u201cnot the sharpest tool in the shed<\/em>\u201d means you\u2019re calling them unintelligent. It means they are stupid, and you don\u2019t know why you have them around you. It\u2019s also a derogatory statement without using bad language or offensive terms.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cMan, Jim isn\u2019t the sharpest tool in the shed, is he? Did you see him over there struggling with how to start the mower? I didn\u2019t have the heart to tell him it was electric.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat kid isn\u2019t the sharpest tool in the shed, he keeps trying to shovel sand into his mouth, and the teacher keeps trying to stop him from doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you Davis? I told you to put all the properties into the list, not just the ones on the south side of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother isn\u2019t the sharpest tool in the shed. He\u2019s great with art and thinking creatively, but he\u2019s no intellectual for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the candidates, she doesn\u2019t look like the sharpest tool in the shed, right? I mean, she has no dress sense, and she seems to overthink answers to her questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cthe sharpest tool in the shed\u201d has unclear origins. However, some language experts believe it is an iteration of another saying, \u201csharpest knife in the drawer.\u201d It\u2019s also unclear when people began to reference a person's high intelligence or decision-making prowess with sharpness.<\/p>\n

There are several variations of this idiomatic expression. The phrase reached the height of its popularity during the 1990s, and many Wall Street brokers would refer to their sales skills as being \u201csharp.\u201d<\/p>\n

The earliest mention of the saying in print comes from the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph in July 1994, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cCritics said that Cliburn was an intuitive artist and that once his intuition was exhausted, he had little else to say about a piece \u2014 which was a fancy way of saying that Cliburn wasn\u2019t the sharpest tool in the shed.\u201d<\/p>\n