For some, foolishness is a peculiar way of life, widespread among secular young people. By "dude" is meant a fashionable, naive young man who does not shine with intelligence.
Definitions of the word "dude"
"Dude" is translated from French as "dove". This is "an empty dandy young man," as the dictionary of foreign words says. It is easy to draw an analogy with a dove: not a very smart bird that can show off and puff up its chest. Sometimes you can call your dressed-up friend a dude, using light irony or good-natured ridicule, but in general this word is colored negatively. "Dude" is not a compliment or merit, with such a word you can express your disapproval of a frivolous dude, give a negative assessment of his appearance - or, rather, excessive obsession with him, and unreasonable, superficial behavior.
There are several more synonyms of foreign origin for the word "dude": "dandy" - also from the French word, or the English version - "dandy". Remember in Pushkin: "How a London dandy is dressed."
Another meaning of the word "dude" is a person who is easily deceived, often due to inexperience and young age. Card cheaters have jargon definitions of "tough dude (whole)" - a victim who first encountered fraudsters, and "torn dude (spoiled)" - a victim already deceived once.
Russian synonym for "dude"
The word "dude" is borrowed from the French language, although dressed, shallow young people, of course, were in Russia before. They called them "dandies". Interestingly enough, both words refer to birds.
There are two different birds with similar names: goldfinch and goldfinch. The dandy-bird, however, is outwardly unremarkable, while the dandy-man is precisely the dandy, and its name comes from the bird with the consonant name - the goldfinch.
The goldfinch bird has bright, elegant plumage of saturated colors, it is light and mobile, sings a lot. Even in the Old Russian language, "dandy" was a nickname that eventually became a dictionary word. In general, such transfers from bird to person are characteristic of linguistic means of expressiveness: remember only the peacock - "He walks like a peasant swims", a goose - "Stupid like a goose", an eagle - "Proud like an eagle."
Efremova's explanatory dictionary says that a dandy is “one who is smartly, elegantly dressed; dandy; one who has a fondness for expensive, exquisite attire. " The same dude - only in pure Russian. The only difference, perhaps, is that "dude" in some way indicates young age and inexperience, while "dandy" can be called any person.