gooney bird

[goo-nee]

gooney bird

[goo-nee]
noun
1.
any of several albatrosses, especially the black-footed albatross and the Laysan albatross, occurring on islands in the Pacific Ocean, often near naval bases.
2.
Slang. a foolish or awkward person or thing; goon.
Also, goony bird.
Also called gooney, goony.


Origin:
1940–45; see goon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Gooney bird is always a great word to know.
So is pill. Does it mean:
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a person who is obnoxious or peculiar
a tiresomely disagreeable person
Collins
World English Dictionary
gooney bird (ˈɡuːnɪ)
 
n
an informal name for the albatross, esp the black-footed albatross (Diomedea nigripes)
 
[C19 gony (originally sailors' slang), probably from dialect gooney fool, of obscure origin; compare goon]

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