lords-and-ladies

American  

[lawrdz-uhn-ley-deez] / ˈlɔrdz ənˈleɪ diz /

noun

1. (used with a singular verb) cuckoopint.

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lords-and-ladies British  

noun

1. (functioning as singular) another name for cuckoopint

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• lords-and-ladies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lords-and-ladies

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Orchis-harlequins, cuckoo-plants, wild arums, more properly lords-and-ladies, were coming, and coming—slowly; for had they not a long way to come, from the valley of the shadow of death into the land of life?

From David Elginbrod by MacDonald, George

Beneath the thorn bushes came up lords-and-ladies; violets in tufts peeped out along the paths, and the meadows were strewn with primroses.

From Six Women and the Invasion by Yerta, Gabrielle