cuckoo
- noun
- /ˈkʊku/
- Offensive
- Many people considered him a bit of a cuckoo for his unusual ideas.
- go cuckoo
- crazy as a cuckoo
- a cuckoo guy
Examples
-
Everyone laughed when he suggested a pig could fly; they thought he was a real cuckoo.
-
I pegged him as slightly cuckoo, too.
-
His advice is a little cuckoo... ...but somehow it works.
-
Slightly cuckoo, a bit out of touch with reality, but no fool.
Fiction book (1991) -
Maybe I'm a little cuckoo.
-
Yeah, the hostess said that you seemed a little cuckoo.
-
She is certifiably cuckoo, you know that, right?
-
Good thing Jake is a nice guy; her behavior lately has been a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.
Blog text (21) -
They're saying you've gone cuckoo!
-
She is totally cuckoo.
Synonyms
A person who acts very stupidly and annoys others
A person who is seen as stupid or makes simple mistakes
A person who behaves in a silly or careless way
An insulting word for a person who behaves in a very strange or foolish way
A silly person who acts funny to make others laugh
A person who acts silly to make others laugh
An insulting word for a person who does very stupid things
A person who is silly and not very smart
A person who is not very smart and often acts without thinking
A person who is not very smart
A person who is foolish and not very smart
A person who behaves foolishly and who others often insult with this word
A person who is very stupid
A person who behaves in a silly or stupid way
A person who acts in a funny, silly way to make people laugh
A person who often does foolish things or makes simple mistakes
A rude word for someone who is not smart
A person who is silly and acts foolishly
A person who is not very smart
A person who is silly and often forgets things
A person who is silly and not very bright
A rude word for a person who is very stupid
A person who acts in a silly or stupid way
A foolish person who often does stupid things
A person who acts in a silly or foolish way
A person who is very stupid or foolish
A person who behaves in a foolish way
A person who is silly and not serious
A person who says or does silly things
A person who acts very foolishly and cannot do simple tasks
A person who is not very smart
A person who acts foolishly because of new trends or technology
Compounds
- Informal
An imaginary place where people are out of touch with reality because they are too optimistic
A North American bird with a thin black bill that makes its own nest and raises its young
- UK
A plant with three-part heart-shaped leaves and white flowers with purple veins often in damp woods
A common European bird with a loud two-note call that lays eggs in other birds' nests
How Foolish
Surface Forms
Etymology
Cuckoo (informal) is often used to mean 'a fool', and a helpful way to remember this is to think of the bird's odd habit and its simple repeating call 'cuckoo'. Because the bird does strange things like leaving its eggs in other nests, people began using its name for someone acting silly or strange.