noun

berk

BURK/bɜːrk/

A foolish or annoying person.

The berk slurps from an empty glass, annoying the woman beside him.

A man annoys the woman beside him by loudly slurping through a straw from an obviously empty glass; she turns toward him with a weary, irritated expression.

Etymology

berkEnglishrhyming-slang phrase for a fool

Berk shortens Berkshire Hunt (or Berkeley Hunt), rhyming slang for “cunt” in its sense of a stupid or contemptible person. The shortened form conceals the rhyme behind the insult.

More examples

I feel like a berk for forgetting my own address.
Some berk parks across two spaces every morning.
Stop being a berk and let me finish.

Forms

berk · berks

Similar words

fool: Emphasizes poor judgment rather than behavior that annoys others.
jerk: Emphasizes rude or inconsiderate behavior rather than foolishness.