Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for whigmaleerie. Search instead for whigmaleeries.

whigmaleerie

American  
[hwig-muh-leer-ee, wig-] / ˌʰwɪg məˈlɪər i, ˌwɪg- /

noun

  1. a whim; notion.

  2. a whimsical or fanciful ornament or contrivance; gimmick.

whigmaleerie British  
/ ˌhwɪɡməˈliːrɪ /

noun

  1. a trinket, whimsical ornament, or trifle

  2. a whim or caprice

"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

Etymology

Origin of whigmaleerie

1720–30; originally Scots, earlier figmalirie, perhaps with fig ( fidget, whig ); for -ma-, rigmarole, thingamajig

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Just look at him, with an old taffeta whigmaleerie tied to his back, like Paddy from Cork, with his coat buttoned behind!

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 12, No. 339, November 8, 1828 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.