In English, the term nimrod seems to have morphed sometime in the 20th century from meaning "mighty hunter" to meaning, roughly, "idiot" or "dipstick". The Internet knows that this is because of Bugs Bunny, in some Merrie Melodies cartoon, referring to Elmer Fudd as a "poor little Nimrod." [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Amazingly, the second meaning likely derived from the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. The wily rabbit used the term in its original sense to refer to his nemesis, the asinine hunter Elmer Fudd, whom he called a “poor little Nimrod.” Eventually, the name became more associated with the characteristics of the inept animated hunter than the great biblical warrior. [4]
But is this folk etymology actually true? Did Bugs Bunny ever refer to Elmer Fudd as a "poor little Nimrod", or any variation thereof, in any actual cartoon? (Title and year, please! Links to Merrie Melodies on DailyMotion may come in handy for verification.)