loon
/lu:n/
Definition
- Noun:
- A person with confused ideas; incapable of serious thought: A foolish, silly, or eccentric person.
- A large, somewhat primitive fish-eating diving bird of the northern hemisphere: A type of aquatic bird known for its excellent diving ability, haunting calls, and legs placed far back on its body.
- A worthless lazy fellow (archaic): A rogue, scoundrel, or idler.
Examples
- Noun (Person):
- He's a bit of a loon, always talking to himself on the bus.
- Don't listen to that political loon; his ideas make no sense.
- Noun (Bird):
- We heard the lonely cry of a loon across the lake at dusk.
- The common loon is easily identified by its black-and-white checkered back in summer.
Advanced Usage
- "Crazy as a loon": An idiom meaning completely insane or very foolish. This phrase plays on the bird's wild, crying call, which sounds eerie or "crazy" to human ears.
- After his third all-nighter, he was acting crazy as a loon.
Variants and Related Words
- Loony : Crazy or silly.
- That's a completely loony idea.
- Loony : A crazy or eccentric person (a shortening of "lunatic," influenced by "loon").
- The asylum was full of loonies in the old stories.
- Looniness : The state of being crazy or silly.
Synonyms
- For the person: Fool, lunatic, eccentric, crackpot, madman.
- For the bird: Diver (British English), Gaviid (scientific family name).
Notes on Different Meanings
- The meaning referring to a foolish person and the bird are etymologically distinct and unrelated words that coincidentally merged in modern English.
- The archaic meaning (a rogue) is now rarely used except in historical contexts or specific dialects.
Noun
-
a person with confused ideas; incapable of serious thought
-
large somewhat primitive fish-eating diving bird of the northern hemisphere having webbed feet placed far back; related to the grebes
-
a worthless lazy fellow
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ đồng nghĩa
Từ chứa "loon"
Từ có nhắc đến "loon"
