Dingbat is an ancient slang term for a crazy person (someone with "bats in their belfry, striking the bell") In the context of type, ornamentations were thus c

Dingbat is an ancient slang term for a crazy person (someone with "bats in their belfry, striking the bell") In the context of type, ornamentations were thus called dingbats because they were essentially pointless, of no substance.