red-necked

A red-necked man angrily shouted at the referee during the baseball game.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Having a red neck: Describes an animal (especially a bird) that has a red-colored neck. - Example: The red-necked grebe is a distinctive waterbird. (A grebe species with a red neck.) 2. Angry or violent (slang, primarily US): In informal American usage, "red-necked" can mean furious or aggressive, though this is less common than the noun "redneck." - Example: He got red-necked when they insulted his family. (He became very angry.)

Usage Examples

• Literal (animal): (A bird with a red neck.)
• Slang (anger): (She was extremely angry.)

Advanced Usage

• "Red-necked" in ornithology: Commonly used in bird names to denote species with red plumage on the neck.
  • The red-necked wallaby also has a reddish neck, but it is a marsupial, not a bird. (A wallaby species with a red neck.)

Variants and Related Words

• Redneck (noun): A term for a rural, working-class white person from the southern US, often used pejoratively or self-referentially.
  • He proudly calls himself a redneck. (A person from a rural Southern background.)
• Red-neckedness (noun, rare): The state of being red-necked, in either literal or slang sense.

Synonyms

• Angry: furious, irate, incensed (for the slang meaning).
• Red-throated: used for birds with a red throat (not exactly the same as "red-necked," but similar).

Related Idioms

• "To see red": to become very angry.
  • He saw red when they broke his guitar. (He became furious.)