Isn't a cuckoo a bird? Why do we call crazy people the name of a bird? Do cuckoo birds act strange?
2007-02-21 04:53:10 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Cuckoo is from the Old French of 'cucu' which is the sound of the male bird's mating cry.
Slang for "crazy" (adj.) was in American English in 1918, but noun meaning "stupid person" is first recorded 1581, perhaps from the bird's unvarying, oft-repeated call. The Old English was 'geac', in Scotland and northern England the word was 'gowk'. The words were presumably originally echoic, too, but had drifted in form and were replaced by the French. form.
Cuckoo clock is from 1789.
2007-02-21 05:11:01 · answer #1 · answered by Catie I 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cuckoo Crazy
2016-12-08 11:02:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Synonyms Of Crazy
2016-10-04 13:40:58 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You got it - the cuckoo family of birds is quite unusual - in several respects. They are definitely the 'clowns' of the bird world. The roadrunner, by the way, is a member of the cuckoo family.
2007-02-21 05:04:16 · answer #4 · answered by ericscribener 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm pretty sure birds act strange.
2007-02-21 05:04:09 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Shouldn't that be "reality challenged" instead of "crazy"? :)
2007-02-21 05:43:24 · answer #6 · answered by aquaman 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋