the.com/buffoon

Confidence doing a backflip off a cliff of competence it never had.

means A person who acts the clown — ridiculous, foolish, or a figure of mockery, often through pompous self-regard.

from From French 'bouffon', from Italian 'buffone' (jester, clown), likely tied to 'buffare' — to puff out the cheeks, as in a comic grimace or mock-blow given in jest. The root sense is literally a puffed-up face pulling a silly expression — which makes the leap to 'puffed-up fool' feel almost too fitting.

origin
from Italian buffone, a jester paid to act foolish
key trait
mistakes volume for authority
modern habitat
thrives anywhere cameras are rolling
danger level
harmless until handed real power
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