noddy
Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
nod·dy
(nŏd′ē)n. pl. nod·dies
1. A dunce or fool; a simpleton.
2. Any of several terns of the genera Anous and Procelsterna, found in tropical waters and usually having dark brown or black plumage with a white or gray head.
[Perhaps from obsolete noddy, foolish, possibly from nod.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
noddy
(ˈnɒdɪ)n, pl -dies
1. (Animals) any of several tropical terns of the genus Anous, esp A. stolidus (common noddy), typically having a dark plumage
2. a fool or dunce
[C16: perhaps noun use of obsolete noddy foolish, drowsy, perhaps from nod (vb); the bird is so called because it allows itself to be caught by hand]
noddy
(ˈnɒdɪ)n, pl -dies
(Broadcasting) (usually plural) television film footage of an interviewer's reactions to comments made by an interviewee, used in editing the interview after it has been recorded
[C20: from nod]
noddy
(ˈnɒdɪ)adj
informal very easy to use or understand; simplistic
[C20: origin unknown]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
nod•dy
(ˈnɒd i)n., pl. -dies.
1. any of several small, usu. dark-bodied terns of the genus Anous, frequenting warm oceanic waters.
2. a fool or simpleton.
[1520–30; perhaps n. use of obsolete noddy (adj.) silly (alluding to the bird's tameness when nesting); see nod, -y1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.