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definitions

moonraker

[ moon-rey-ker ]
/ ˈmunˌreɪ kər /
|

noun

Also called moonsail [moon-suh l, -seyl] /ˈmun səl, -ˌseɪl/. Nautical. a light square sail set above a skysail.
a simpleton.

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Nearby words

  1. moonlighting,
  2. moonlit,
  3. moonprobe,
  4. moonquake,
  5. moonrace,
  6. moonrise,
  7. moonrock,
  8. moonroof,
  9. moonscape,
  10. moonseed

Origin of moonraker

First recorded in 1780–90; moon + raker1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for moonraker

  • I expect Mr. Heeler's waiting for you in "Moonraker's," father.

    Hobson's Choice|Harold Brighouse

  • So that, if you stay more than an hour in the Moonraker's Inn, you'll be late for it.

    Hobson's Choice|Harold Brighouse

  • A Moonraker is also the nickname for a native of Wiltshire, and a very silly story is told there as its origin.

    The History of Signboards|Jacob Larwood

  • Let's go to the "Moonraker's" and forget there's such a thing as women in the world.

    Hobson's Choice|Harold Brighouse

British Dictionary definitions for moonraker

moonraker

/ (ˈmuːnˌreɪkə) /

noun

nautical a small square sail set above a skysail
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for moonraker

moonraker

n.

in England, a name traditionally given to Wiltshire people, attested from 1787, is from the stock joke about fools who mistook the reflection of the moon in a pond for a cheese and tried to rake it out. But as told in Wiltshire, the men were surprised trying to rake up kegs of smuggled brandy, and put off the revenuers by acting foolish.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper