Etymology
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From the vernaculars of North Rhine-Westphalia. Possibly from the lullaby verse heia popeia, implying a “benighted” person.
Pronunciation
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Heiopei m (strong, genitive Heiopeis, plural Heiopeis or Heiopeie)
- (colloquial, chiefly western Germany) clown, tomfool, bumpkin, (usually male) person who is naive, silly, and/or ridiculous
- Synonyms: Affe, Clown, Horst, Spacken, Spaten, Tölpel, Tünnes