IT was a favourite phrase of Rab C Nesbitt, who deployed it with regularity when encountering fools, dunderheids and other sundry lackwits.

And now the word 'numpty' has attracted the attention of the Oxford English Dictionary, who have launched an appeal to find out where it came from.

Since the mid-1980s, numpty has been used as a mild term of abuse, and the earliest evidence found by OED researchers is from a 1988 book by Michael Munro, chronicling Glaswegian colloquialisms.

However, use of the word as an adjective meaning 'foolish or idiotic' appears to have come first, creating a mystery of the word's origins.

Anyone who knows where numpty began to be used is urged to contact the OED team, and pass on their knowledge of how it came to be.

A spokesman for the team said: "OED Appeals is a dedicated community space on the OED website where OED editors solicit help in unearthing new information about the history and usage of English.

"Part of the process of revising words and phrases for the OED involves searching for evidence of a word's first recorded use in English, and for this we need your help."