cuckoo

• POS: Interjection, Adjective, Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: cuck=oo

CIDE DICTIONARY

cuckoo, n. [OE. coccou, cukkow, F. coucou, prob. of imitative origin; cf. L. cuculus, Gr. , Skr. kkia, G. kuckuk, D. koekoek.].

 A bird belonging to Cuculus, Coccyzus, and several allied genera, of many species.  [1913 Webster]
" 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 (Zoöl.), a long-tailed pigeon of the genus Macropygia. Many species inhabit the East Indies. -- Cuckoo fish (Zoöl.), the European red gurnard (Trigla cuculus). The name probably alludes to the sound that it utters. -- Cuckoo falcon (Zoöl.), any falcon of the genus Baza. The genus inhabits Africa and the East Indies. -- Cuckoo maid (Zoöl.), the wryneck; -- called also cuckoo mate. -- Cuckoo ray (Zoöl.), 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) (Zoöl.) 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.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cuckoo, n. & adj.
--n. any bird of the family Cuculidae, esp. Cuculus canorus, having a characteristic cry, and depositing its eggs in the nests of small birds.
--predic.adj. sl. crazy, foolish.

Idiom

cuckoo clock a clock that strikes the hour with a sound like a cuckoo's call, usu. with the emergence on each note of a mechanical cuckoo. cuckoo flower
1 a meadow plant, Cardamine pratensis, with pale lilac flowers.
2 = ragged robin. cuckoo in the nest an unwelcome intruder. cuckoo-pint a wild arum, Arum maculatum, with arrow-shaped leaves and scarlet berries: also called lords and ladies (see LORD). cuckoo-spit froth exuded by larvae of insects of the family Cercopidae on leaves, stems, etc.

Etymology

ME f. OF cucu, imit.

THESAURUS

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

ROGET THESAURUS

cuckoo

Imitation

N imitation, copying, transcription, repetition, duplication, reduplication, quotation, reproduction, mimeograph, xerox, facsimile, reprint, offprint, mockery, mimicry, simulation, impersonation, personation, representation, semblance, copy, assimilation, paraphrase, parody, take-off, lampoon, caricature, plagiarism, forgery, counterfeit, celluloid, imitator, echo, cuckoo, parrot, ape, monkey, mocking bird, mime, copyist, copycat, plagiarist, pirate, imitated, mock, mimic, modelled after, molded on, paraphrastic, literal, imitative, secondhand, imitable, aping, apish, mimicking, literally, to the letter, verbatim, literatim, sic, totidem verbis, word for word, mot a mot, exactly, precisely, like master like man, like - but oh! how different!, genius borrows nobly, pursuing echoes calling 'mong the rocks, quotation confesses inferiority, Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Repetition

N repetition, iteration, reiteration, harping, recurrence, succession, run, battology, tautology, monotony, tautophony, rhythm, diffuseness, pleonasm, redundancy, chimes, repetend, echo, ritornello, burden of a song, refrain, rehearsal, rechauffe, rifacimento, recapitulation, cuckoo, reverberation, drumming, renewal, twice-told tale, old story, old song, second edition, new edition, reappearance, reproduction, recursion, periodicity, repeated, repetitional, repetitionary, recurrent, recurring, ever recurring, thick coming, frequent, incessant, redundant, pleonastic, monotonous, harping, iterative, recursive, unvaried, mocking, chiming, retold, aforesaid, aforenamed, above-mentioned, above-said, habitual, another, repeatedly, often, again, anew, over again, afresh, once more, ding-dong, ditto, encore, de novo, bis, da capo, again and again, over and over, over and over again, recursively, many times over, time and again, time after time, year after year, day by day, many times, several times, a number of times, many a time, full many a time, frequently, ecce iterum Crispinus, toujours perdrix, cut and come again, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, cantilenam eandem canis, nullum est jam dictum quod non dictum sit prius.

Roll

N roll, drumming, berloque, bombination, rumbling, tattoo, drumroll, dingdong, tantara, rataplan, whirr, ratatat, ratatat-tat, rubadub, pitapat, quaver, clutter, charivari, racket, cuckoo, repetition, peal of bells, devil's tattoo, reverberation, clickety-clack, hum, purr, hummingbird, cat, kitten (animal sounds), rolling, monotonous, like a bee in a bottle.

Ululation

N ululation, cry, crying, bowwow, ululation, latration, belling, reboation, wood-note, insect cry, fritiniancy, drone, screech owl, cuckoo, wailing (lamentation), crying, blatant, latrant, remugient, mugient, deep-mouthed, full-mouthed, rebellowing, reboant, in full cry, (iii) MUSICAL SOUNDS.

VB cry, roar, bellow, blare, rebellow, growl, snarl, bark, bow-wow, yelp, bay, bay at the moon, yap, yip, yipe, growl, yarr, yawl, snarl, howl, grunt, gruntle, snort, squeak neigh, whinny, bray, mew, mewl, meow, purr, caterwaul, pule, baa, bleat, low, moo, troat, croak, peep, coo, gobble, quack, honk, gaggle, guggle, crow, caw, squawk, screech cackle, cluck, clack, chuck, chuckle, hoot, hoo, chirp, cheep, chirrup, twitter, cuckoo, warble, trill, tweet, pipe, whistle, hum, buzz, hiss, blatter, ratatat.