English Translation
He is really a perfect idiot.
How did おめでたい come to mean “idiotic”? is it slang?
@ericaw
It’s not slang but just a derogatory sarcastic expression.
めでたい means “so fantastic and should be celebrated or highly praised”. おめでたい人 is a person who always sees everything positive and easily becomes happy. Such a person cannot see things from different perspectives and not take into account potential risks or side effects.
お + characteristics + 人 is a frequent pattern. You cannot drop お because it’s not a prefix for polite expressions. I’ve explained the similar case by introducing some example sentences here:
あいつはおめでたい人間だ is interchangeable with:
あいつは頭がお花畑だ (あたまがおはなばたけ)
花畑 is a flower garden. Flowers make you happy and peaceful. 頭がお花畑 is “the brain of the person is like a flower garden”. So, the person is too optimistic and cannot see things realistically.
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