noddy

[ nod-ee ]

noun,plural nod·dies.

any of several dark-bodied terns of the genera Anous and Micranous found about the coasts and islands in warm seas of both the New and Old Worlds, often so tame as to seem stupid.
a fool or simpleton; noodle.

Origin of noddy

1520–30; perhaps noun use of obsolete noddy (adj.) silly. See nod, -y¹

Words Nearby noddy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use noddy in a sentence

One summer evening in 2020, a female Seychelles giant tortoise cornered a noddy tern chick.
A giant tortoise is caught hunting and eating a baby bird | Jonathan Lambert | September 29, 2021 | Science News For Students
Niddy-noddy means the old-fashioned hand-reel used in the days when there were no machines.
Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer | Rena I. Halsey
Andy fell on a slippery patch of dried grass, and noddy was almost upon him when Jerry ran up.
The Motor Boys in the Clouds | Clarence Young
It was all taken apart and boxed up, and noddy threatened to sue the railroad if one piece of his machine was lost or damaged.
The Motor Boys in the Clouds | Clarence Young
They did not attempt to strike him, and noddy knew better than to run the risk of hostilities by delivering any blows.
The Motor Boys in the Clouds | Clarence Young

Well, theyll make fun of me—theyre enemies of mine, and I dont want em here, whined noddy.
The Motor Boys in the Clouds | Clarence Young

British Dictionary definitions for noddy (1 of 3)

noddy¹

/ (ˈnɒdɪ) /

nounplural -dies

any of several tropical terns of the genus Anous, esp A. stolidus (common noddy), typically having a dark plumage
a fool or dunce

Origin of noddy

C16: perhaps noun use of obsolete noddy foolish, drowsy, perhaps from nod (vb); the bird is so called because it allows itself to be caught by hand

British Dictionary definitions for noddy (2 of 3)

noddy²

/ (ˈnɒdɪ) /

nounplural -dies

(usually plural) television film footage of an interviewer's reactions to comments made by an interviewee, used in editing the interview after it has been recorded

Origin of noddy

C20: from nod

British Dictionary definitions for noddy (3 of 3)

noddy³

/ (ˈnɒdɪ) /

adjective

informal very easy to use or understand; simplistic

Origin of noddy

C20: origin unknown

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

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