useless person; incompetent; half a person
Rare derogatory term for someone who is useless or incompetent, literally 'half a person's worth'. Compare 半人前 (はんにんまえ), which is more common.
See also: 半人前
He couldn't do the job and was treated as useless.
Compound of 半 (half) + 人足 (person's worth, laborer). The exact derivation is uncertain; it may be a variant of 半人前.