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Literally, a plank is a piece of wood often used in the construction industry. There's an expression in English 'as thick as two short planks' which is a negative term for someone who's really unintelligent. Don’t ask me why short planks might be thicker than long ones, that's just what we say.

Well, we've been saying that idiots are as thick as two short planks for a long time, but recently this has been shortened and now, if we think someone isn't very bright, we just called them a plank. We might say, 'You'll never guess what he said to her, he's such a plank!'

I like the word, it sounds right for its meaning …plank.

Also it's not so rude that it would really offend anyone or get you into big trouble. We’ve been using the association with wood in a negative sense for a long time. A wooden actor, is a useless, unable to express emotion. So if someone does something unbelievably silly, you might just quietly say to yourself 'What a plank!'

Mark Shea has been a teacher and teacher trainer for eighteen years. He has taught English and trained teachers extensively in Asia and South America, and is a qualified examiner for the University of Cambridge oral examinations. He is currently working with journalists at the World Service and is the author of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ College of Journalism's online English tutor.