goober

What it means

1. Southern USA peanut.

   A few bags Gouber Pea, or Ground Pea

   1833 November 7, Louisville Public Advertiser

   1 more example

   But he so seam I frade of he, I guess he steal my goober.

   1834 May 24, Cherokee Phoenix, page 3

2. Southern USdatedslangA Georgian or North Carolinian, particularly one from the pine forests of the Sandhills region.

   Conscripts by the dozen... Come pouring in the Castle... Some from Mississippi state and “Goobers” from Tar river.

   1863, anonymous author, “Castle Thunder”, in Louis Napoléon Boudrye, editor, Historic Records of the Fifth New York Cavalry..., Appendix, page 339

   1 more example

   The peanuts or earth-nuts known in North Carolina and the adjoining States as Goober peas, so that during the late Civil War a conscript from the so-called ‘piney woods’ of that State was apt to be nick-named a Goober.

   1871, Maximilian Schele de Vere, Americanisms, page 57

3. InternetUSchildishslangA foolish, simple, or amusingly silly person.

   [Keanu] Reeves had spent much of the decade as a celebrity goober—a great-looking guy best known for being a bland actor (at least by traditional acting standards).

   2022, Chuck Klosterman, The Nineties, New York: Penguin Press, →ISBN

   1 more example

   For Ralph, any encouragement is too much. When Lisa gives Ralph a valentine bearing that locomotive pun that so affected The Simpsons’ showrunner, Ralph misinterprets the gesture as a genuine display of romantic interest rather than a gesture of pity from a thoughtful young geek to a friendless goober.

   2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “The Simpsons (Classic): 'I Love Lisa'”, in A.V. Club, archived from the original on 23 Oct 2013

   Synonyms: alcatote, asshat, arsehole, asshole, bayard, berk, birdbrain, blither

In a sentence

A few bags Gouber Pea, or Ground Pea

1833 November 7, Louisville Public Advertiser

Where it comes from

1. Kongonguba“peanut”
2. Englishgoober

Via Gullah from Kongo nguba (“peanut”).