noddy

American  

[nod-ee] / ˈnɒd i /

noun

noddies plural

1. 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.

2. a fool or simpleton; noodle.

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noddy ¹ British  

/ ˈnɒdɪ /

noun

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

2. a fool or dunce

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noddy ² British  

/ ˈnɒdɪ /

noun

1. (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

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noddy ³ British  

/ ˈnɒdɪ /

adjective

1. informal very easy to use or understand; simplistic

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Etymology

Origin of noddy

1520–30; perhaps noun use of obsolete noddy (adj.) silly. See nod, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Half a century after Slade recorded their massive hit single Merry Xmas Everybody, Noddy Holder said strangers still ask him to shout his "It's Christmas" catchphrase.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2023

Noddy Holder's wife has revealed the former Slade frontman was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer five years ago.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2023

Beyond that, Slade’s breakthrough hit, Get Down and Get With It, was a cover of Richard’s UK-recorded 1967 single Get Down With It, and Noddy Holder’s voice was a direct descendant.

From The Guardian • May 9, 2020

Repeat seven times, blissfully, swapping out “visit to the bone crypt” for “round trip of the resort on the silly Noddy Train with the parpy horn”.

From The Guardian • Jul. 27, 2019

‘Every afternoon,’ the BFG said, ‘all these giants is in the Land of Noddy.’

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl