fachidiot means A (narrow) specialist expert who is ignorant outside of their specialty, or who only looks at problems through the (blinkered) lens of their own specialty. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
fachidiot is pronounced /ˈfɑkɪdiˌoʊt/.
Why “fachidiot” is a great word
FACHIDIOT — [Noun] A specialist whose profound competence in a single, narrow discipline is matched only by a profound ignorance or ineptitude in all other matters, habitually applying a myopic, technical lens to problems requiring holistic understanding. Borrowed from German Fachidiot, from Fach ("subject, field, compartment") + Idiot ("idiot"). Unlike a polymath, whose knowledge spans disciplines in symphonic harmony, or a generalist, whose competence is broadly adaptable, the fachidiot is a virtuoso of a single, constricted instrument. He is the surgeon who sees a human as merely an anatomical puzzle, the economist who reduces a tragedy to a supply curve, and the theologian parsing the grammar of angels while the house burns down—a brilliant prisoner of his own expertise, a single, brilliant light that casts the darkest of shadows.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Fachidiot.
noun
- A (narrow) specialist expert who is ignorant outside of their specialty, or who only looks at problems through the (blinkered) lens of their own specialty.