1.
[syn: fathead, goof, goofball, bozo, jackass, goose, cuckoo, twat, zany]
2. any of numerous European and North American birds having pointed wings and a long tail;
VERB (1)
1. repeat monotonously, like a cuckoo repeats his call;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Cuckoo \Cuck"oo\ (k[oo^]k"[=oo]), n. [OE. coccou, cukkow, F.
coucou, prob. of imitative origin; cf. L. cuculus, Gr. ????,
Skr. k?ki?a, G. kuckuk, D. koekoek.] (Zool.)
A bird belonging to Cuculus, Coccyzus, and several allied
genera, of many species.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The European cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) builds no nest
of its own, but lays its eggs in the nests of other
birds, to be hatched by them. The American
yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus Americanus) and the
black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythrophthalmus) build
their own nests.
[1913 Webster]
Cuckoo clock, a clock so constructed that at the time for
striking it gives forth sounds resembling the cry of the
cuckoo.
Cuckoo dove (Zool.), a long-tailed pigeon of the genus
Macropygia. Many species inhabit the East Indies.
Cuckoo fish (Zool.), the European red gurnard (Trigla
cuculus). The name probably alludes to the sound that it
utters.
Cuckoo falcon (Zool.), any falcon of the genus Baza. The
genus inhabits Africa and the East Indies.
Cuckoo maid (Zool.), the wryneck; -- called also cuckoo
mate.
Cuckoo ray (Zool.), a British ray (Raia miraletus).
Cuckoo spit, or Cuckoo spittle.
(a) A frothy secretion found upon plants, exuded by the
larvae of certain insects, for concealment; -- called
also toad spittle and frog spit.
(b) (Zool.) A small hemipterous insect, the larva of which,
living on grass and the leaves of plants, exudes this
secretion. The insects belong to Aphrophora,
Helochara, and allied genera.
Ground cuckoo, the chaparral cock.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
cuckoo
n 1: a man who is a stupid incompetent fool [syn: fathead,
goof, goofball, bozo, jackass, goose, cuckoo,
twat, zany]
2: any of numerous European and North American birds having
pointed wings and a long tail
v 1: repeat monotonously, like a cuckoo repeats his call
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
140 Moby Thesaurus words for "cuckoo":
Philomel, ape, balmy, bananas, barmy, bats, batty, beany, bonkers,
buggy, bughouse, bugs, bulbul, cackle, call, canary, carol, caw,
chatter, cheep, chirk, chirp, chirr, chirrup, chitter, chuck,
clack, cluck, cock-a-doodle-doo, conformist, coo, copier, copycat,
copyist, counterfeiter, crackbrain, crackbrained, cracked,
crackers, crank, cranky, crazed, crazy, croak, cronk, crow, daffy,
daft, ding-a-ling, dippy, dissembler, dissimulator, dotty, drum,
echo, echoer, echoist, faker, feathered songster, flaky, flipped,
forger, freaked-out, fruitcakey, fruity, gabble, gaga, gaggle,
gobble, goofy, guggle, harebrain, haywire, honk, hoo, hoot,
hypocrite, imitator, impersonator, impostor, just plain nuts, kook,
kooky, lark, loony, loopy, lunatic, mavis, mime, mimer, mimic,
mimicker, mocker, mockingbird, monkey, nightingale, nut, nuts,
nutty, off the hinges, off the track, off the wall, oriole, parrot,
peep, phony, pip, pipe, plagiarist, poll-parrot, polly,
polly-parrot, poseur, potty, quack, ringdove, roll, round the bend,
scold, screwball, screwballs, screwy, sheep, simulator, sing,
singing bird, slaphappy, song sparrow, songbird, songster, squawk,
thrush, trill, tweet, twit, twitter, wacky, warble, warbler,
whistle
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:
Cuckoo
(Heb. shahaph), from a root meaning "to be lean; slender." This
bird is mentioned only in Lev. 11:16 and Deut. 14:15 (R.V.,
"seamew"). Some have interpreted the Hebrew word by "petrel" or
"shearwater" (Puffinus cinereus), which is found on the coast of
Syria; others think it denotes the "sea-gull" or "seamew." The
common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) feeds on reptiles and large
insects. It is found in Asia and Africa as well as in Europe. It
only passes the winter in Palestine. The Arabs suppose it to
utter the cry _Yakub_, and hence they call it _tir el-Yakub_;
i.e., "Jacob's bird."