English edit

Etymology edit

Blend of Ph.D. +‎ nudnik

Noun edit

phudnik (plural phudniks)

  1. (colloquial, derogatory, humorous) A nudnik who holds a Ph.D.
    • 2000, James Frush, Kind Hearts: Self-Esteem and the Challenges of Aging, page 82:
      A not-too-serious example: What if a student or someone else who has attended one of my lectures says, "What a bore; a phudnik if ever I heard one."