richard
n. countablen. a very rude or funny way to call someone a 'dick' or a jerk. It uses a common man's name as a joke because that name is often shortened to 'Dick'.
n. a derogatory slang term for a contemptible or obnoxious person. It functions as a euphemistic or ironic substitute for the vulgarity 'dick', based on the traditional diminutive of the proper name.
Don't be such a Richard to your sister.
He was acting like a total Richard at the party, so everyone eventually stopped talking to him.
The comedian's routine relied on the audience's familiarity with the name's common nickname to land a series of puns about a particularly difficult boss named Richard.
From Middle English Rycharde, from Old French Richard, from Medieval Latin Richardus and Ricohardus, from Frankish Rīkahard, from Proto-Germanic Rīkaharduz, a construction of rīks (“king, ruler”) + harduz (“hard, brave”). Cognate with Old High German Rīcohard (“Richard”). A hypothetical Old English equivalent *Rīċheard would also yield an identical "Richard" in Modern English, though it is unknown if the Old English equivalent existed.
Clipping of Richard III (Richard the Third).
Used as a common noun in this slang sense; often preceded by the indefinite article or a qualifier like 'total'.