American saying?

[comloulou]

Can anyone tell me both the meaning and origin of the American 'insult' 'poindexter'. Im an avid Simpsons watcher but admit to being baffled as to why geeks are called poindexter.....

[bluedolphin]

Got this from google search Poindexter is a control-freak Peeping Tom who lied to Congress (iran-contra?)and wants to keep a national data base on everything you do.

[Cathy]

I'm not sure about this, but I always thought that Poindexter is a proper name, associated with geeks, in the same way that Bruce is associated with Australians.

[ravenhair]

It actually comes from the cartoon Felix the Cat. Felix's nemesis had a nephew called Poindexter, who was famous in the cartoon for being really clever. Since then, the name has been used to refer to a nerdy intellectual.

[Rev.Crowley]

I'm with ravenhair and Cathy on this one. It's a nerdy intellectual or geek.