noddy

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: nod=dy

CIDE DICTIONARY

noddy, n. [Prob. fr. nod to incline the head, either as in assent, or from drowsiness.].

•  A simpleton; a fool.  L'Estrange.  [1913 Webster]
•  Any tern of the genus Anous, as Anous stolidus.  [1913 Webster]
•  An old game at cards.  Halliwell.  [1913 Webster]
•  A small two-wheeled one-horse vehicle.  [1913 Webster]
•  An inverted pendulum consisting of a short vertical flat spring which supports a rod having a bob at the top; -- used for detecting and measuring slight horizontal vibrations of a body to which it is attached.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

noddy, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a simpleton.
2 any of various tropical sea birds of the genus Anous, resembling terns.

Etymology

prob. f. obs. noddy foolish, which is perh. f. NOD

ROGET THESAURUS

noddy

Fool

N fool, idiot, tomfool, wiseacre, simpleton, witling, dizzard, donkey, ass, ninny, ninnyhammer, chowderhead, chucklehead, dolt, booby, Tom Noddy, looby, hoddy-doddy, noddy, nonny, noodle, nizy, owl, goose, goosecap, imbecile, gaby, radoteur, nincompoop, badaud, zany, trifler, babbler, pretty fellow, natural, niais, child, baby, infant, innocent, milksop, sop, oaf, lout, loon, lown, dullard, doodle, calf, colt, buzzard, block, put, stick, stock, numps, tony, bull head, dunderhead, addlehead, blockhead, dullhead, loggerhead, jolthead, jolterhead, beetlehead, beetlebrain, grosshead, muttonhead, noodlehead, giddyhead, numbskull, thickskull, lackbrain, shallowbrain, dimwit, halfwit, lackwit, dunderpate, lunkhead sawney, gowk, clod, clod-hopper, clod-poll, clot-poll, clot-pate, bull calf, gawk, Gothamite, lummox, rube, men of Boeotia, wise men of Gotham, un sot a triple etage, sot, jobbernowl, changeling, mooncalf, gobemouche, dotard, driveler, old fogey, old woman, crock, crone, grandmother, cotquean, henhussy, incompetent (insanity), greenhorn, dunce, lubber, madman, one who will not set the Thames on fire, one who did not invent gunpowder, qui n'a pas invente' la poudre, no conjuror, fortuna favet fatuis, les fous font les festinas et les sages les mangen, nomina stultorum parietibus harrent, stultorum plena sunt omnia.