| noddy | Origin: Prob. Fr. Nod to incline the head, either as in assent, or from drowsiness. 1. A simpleton; a fool. 2. <ornithology> Any tern of the genus Anous, as A. Stolidus. The arctic fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). Sometimes also applied to other sea birds. 3. An old game at cards. 4. A small two-wheeled one-horse vehicle. 5. An inverted pendulum consisting of a short vertical flat spring which supports a rod having a bob at the top; used for detecting and measuring slight horizontal vibrations of a body to which it is attached. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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