burke
n. countablen. a person who is silly or makes a mistake. You use this as a light, friendly way to tease someone for being a bit foolish.
n. a foolish or stupid person. Primarily used in British English as a mild, often affectionate insult; derived from Cockney rhyming slang.
Don't be such a burke; the keys are in your hand.
He felt like a total burke after realizing he had been wearing his shirt inside out all morning.
From an Anglo-Norman pronunciation of burg.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Usage
Commonly used in British English; often preceded by the intensifier 'proper' or 'right'.
Last updated May 2, 2026