A village idiot is a person widely known in their community for their stupidity and ignorant behavior. The term first appears in the preface to George Bernard Shaw's play Major Barbara, which opened in 1907. Shaw discusses how some people have treated madness or idiocy as a source of humor, remarking that "I myself have had a village idiot exhibited to me as something irresistibly funny." The underlying supposition is that in every small rustic town there resides a dimwitted and foolish individual whom his fellow denizens regard as very amusing.

Different towns and cultures are known to use various terms to describe their village idiot. One example of this it the English town of Stoke-on-Trent where the term used is 'Cartwright'. According to the myth, this term was founded by a local family of idiots known as the Cartwrights, living in one of the neighbouring towns such as Trentham.

In a sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus, the village idiot is described as someone who provides a valuable psychosocial service to the rural society. Even the poorest people can look down on the village idiot, which makes them feel better about themselves greatly.

English phrases