cuckoo
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
cuckoo/ˈkʊkuː/
▶noun a grey or brown bird known for the far-carrying two-note call of the male and for the habit of laying its eggs in the nests of small songbirds. [Cuculus canorus.]
■ used in names of other birds of the same family (
– phrases
cuckoo in the nest an unwelcome intruder in a situation.
cuckoo in the nest an unwelcome intruder in a situation.
– origin ME: from OFr. cucu, imitative of its call.
'cuckoo' also found in these Oxford entries:
ani
- arum
- brainfever bird
- cloud cuckoo land
- coccyx
- coucal
- cuckold
- cuckoo bee
- cuckoo clock
- cuckooflower
- cuckoo pint
- cuckoo spit
- cuckoo wasp
- froghopper
- gowk
- Jack-in-the-pulpit
- koel
- kook
- lords and ladies
- onomatopoeia
- roadrunner
- wake-robin
- wild arum
