wing nut
- noun
- /wɪŋ nʌt/
- Offensive
- I wonder where the right-wing nuts are that insulted us during the debate?
- right-wing nut
- left-wing nut
- wing nut job
So I have to say, well, there was this one wing nut of a person who said they trust them.
- So I have to say, well, there was this one wing nut of a person who said they trust them.
Examples
-
It's frustrating to debate with a wing nut who refuses to listen to reason.
-
Because you are pushing the right-wing nuts' failed narrative.
Blog text (14) -
So I have to say, well, there was this one wing nut of a person who said they trust them.
-
How is that a win for anybody but the left and right-wing nuts who are driving this whole thing?
Blog text (12) -
Why are all of you wing nuts railing on Obama?
Blog text (28) -
Before the Texas bashing starts, let me say that not all Texans are wing nuts.
Blog text (1) -
The best thing for the Democratic Party is for Sarah Palin or some other right-wing nut to win next year.
Blog text (27) -
Gingrich had to resign as Speaker of the House in disgrace, and the wing nuts still considered him presidential material.
Blog text (23) -
DOMA is simply a way for right-wing nuts to discriminate and deny the lawful rights that they enjoy to others.
Blog text (32) -
Benghazi truthers are right-wing nut jobs that fake outrage about everything Obama does.
Blog text (21)
Synonyms
A person who is very interested in a particular hobby or subject
A person who behaves very strangely and may be dangerous
A person who acts silly or strange to make others laugh
A person who acts in a silly or strange way
An insulting word for a person who acts very silly or strange
Antonyms
How Extreme
- Literature
- Offensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines a sense of 'wing' (a side or faction) with the colloquial 'nut' (an eccentric or crazy person), so if a learner can access the political sense of 'wing' and the slang sense of 'nut' they can infer it denotes an extreme or irrational person on a political side. However, both senses are metaphorical/colloquial rather than literal (and 'wing' as a political faction may not be known from the basic definition), so the meaning is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Wing nut is an insulting name made from wing (a political side) and nut (a crazy person), giving the picture of someone at the extreme edge of a party. So it means a person with very extreme or unreasonable political views.