ruddy

WOTD - 3 October 2007    

English

Etymology

Old English rudiġ.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /ˈɹʌdi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌdi

Adjective

ruddy (comparative ruddier, superlative ruddiest)

1. Reddish in color, especially of the face, fire, or sky.
2. (UK, slang) A mild intensifier.
   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XVIII and XX:

     “Of all the damn silly fatheaded things!” she vociferated, if that's the word. “With a million ruddy names to choose from, these ruddy Creams call one ruddy son Wilbert and the other ruddy son Wilfred, and both these ruddy sons are known as Willie. Just going out of their way to mislead the innocent bystander. You'd think people would have more consideration.” [...] Pop Cream listens attentively to the tale she tells, and when Uncle Tom looks in on him later, he finds him with folded arms and a forbidding scowl. “Travers,” he says, “the deal's off.” “Off?” quivers Uncle Tom. “Off,” says Cream. “O-ruddy-double-f. I don't do business with guys whose wives bring in loony-doctors to observe my son.”

Synonyms

• (reddish in color): rosy
• (intensifier): bally, bleeding, blimming, bloody, blooming
• See also Wikisaurus:damned

Translations

reddish

Finnish: punainen (fi), punakka (fi) German: rot (de) Icelandic: rjóður (is) m., rauðleitur (is) m., roða- (is), rauður (is) m. Italian: rubicondo (it)

Portuguese: avermelhado (pt) Romanian: roșcat (ro) Russian: красноватый (ru) (krasnovátyj), румяный (ru) (rum'ányj) (face)

a mild intensifier

Finnish: kirottu (fi), hemmetin (fi) German: verdammt, verflixt

Icelandic: bölvaður (is) m., fjárans (is), skrambans (is), fjári (is), skrambi (is), ansi (is)

See also

• (reds) red; blood red, brick red, burgundy, cardinal, carmine, carnation, cerise, cherry, cherry red, Chinese red, cinnabar, claret, crimson, damask, fire brick, fire engine red, flame, flamingo, fuchsia, garnet, geranium, gules, hot pink, incarnadine, Indian red, magenta, maroon, misty rose, nacarat, oxblood, pillar-box red, pink, Pompeian red, poppy, raspberry, red violet, rose, rouge, ruby, ruddy, salmon, sanguine, scarlet, shocking pink, stammel, strawberry, Turkey red, venetian red, vermillion, vinaceous, vinous, violet red, wine ^{(Category: en:Reds) [edit]}

Noun

ruddy (plural ruddies)

1. (informal) ruddy shelduck
   • 2007 November 4, Deborah Baldwin, “Close to Nature, and the Airport”, New York Times:

     In winter, snow geese land at West Pond, a Robert Moses legacy that ought to be called Duck Soup: at this time of year look for ruddies, greater scaups, Northern pintails, American widgeons and gadwalls.