drongo
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Noun
drongo (plural drongos or drongoes)
- Any bird of the family Dicruridae.
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From an Australian racehorse named Drongo, apparently after the bird (specifically, after the spangled drongo, Dicrurus bracteatus). The horse (foaled 1920, retired 1925) never won a race, and by transference anyone slow-witted or clumsy became a drongo.[1]
- Alternatively, from putative RAAF slang drongo (a recruit), similarly after the bird.[2]
- Another suggested derivation is the Scottish Gaelic drongair (“drunkard”).
Noun
drongo (plural drongos)
- (Australia, New Zealand, slang, derogatory) A fool, an idiot, a stupid fellow.
- 2010, Graham Seal, Great Australian Stories: Legends, Yarns and Tall Tales, page 191,
- In another story, the drongo is working for a farmer when the boss decides it is time to build another windmill. The drongo agrees to help but asks the farmer if he thinks it really makes sense to have two windmills. ‘What do you mean?’ the farmer asked. ‘Well, says the drongo, ‘there′s barely enough wind to operate the one you already have, so I doubt there′ll be enough to work two of them.’
- 2010, John Timpson, Upside Down Management: A Common Sense Guide to Better Business, unnumbered page,
- One drongo executive can do harm enough, but things get worse when they start recruiting people like themselves.
- 2010, Graham Seal, Great Australian Stories: Legends, Yarns and Tall Tales, page 191,
Synonyms
References
Anagrams
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from French drongo, from Malagasy.
Pronunciation
Noun
drongo m (plural dronghi)
- (ornithology) drongo (any bird of the Dicruridae family), particularly the fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)
References
- drongo in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Anagrams
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French drongo, from Malagasy [Term?].
Pronunciation
Noun
drongo m (uncountable)
Declension
declension of drongo (singular only)
singular | ||
---|---|---|
m gender | indefinite articulation | definite articulation |
nominative/accusative | (un) drongo | drongoul |
genitive/dative | (unui) drongo | drongoului |
vocative | drongoule |
See also
References
- drongo in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)
Categories:
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɒŋɡəʊ
- Rhymes:English/ɒŋɡəʊ/2 syllables
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- English countable nouns
- Australian English
- New Zealand English
- English slang
- English derogatory terms
- en:Corvoid birds
- Italian terms borrowed from French
- Italian terms derived from French
- Italian terms derived from Malagasy
- Italian 2-syllable words
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- Rhymes:Italian/ɔnɡo
- Rhymes:Italian/ɔnɡo/2 syllables
- Italian lemmas
- Italian nouns
- Italian countable nouns
- Italian masculine nouns
- it:Ornithology
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- Romanian terms derived from Malagasy
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- ro:Birds