cuckoo
Translation
cuckoo, fool
Examples
We heard a cuckoo in the woods.
We heard a cuckoo in the woods.
He's a bit of a cuckoo.
He's a bit of a cuckoo.
Grammar Patterns
((a/the)) cuckoo (a type of bird) We heard a cuckoo in the woods.
((a)) cuckoo (a foolish or crazy person, informal) He's a bit of a cuckoo.
Similar Words
Synonyms (for a person): fool, eccentric, nutcase (informal)
Etymology
Onomatopoeic, from the bird's call 'coo-coo'.
Memory Tips
The word sounds like the bird's call. The term for a crazy person comes from the bird's strange nesting habits (laying eggs in other birds' nests).