any of several brilliantly colored salamanders of the family Salamandridae, especially those of the genera Triturus and Notophthalmus, of North America, Europe, and northern Asia.
Origin: 1375–1425; late Middle English newte, for ewte (the phrase an ewte being taken as a newte;compare nickname), variant of evet,Old English efeteeft1
any of various small semiaquatic urodele amphibians, such as Triturus vulgaris (common newt) of Europe, having a long slender body and tail and short feeble legs
2.
chiefly (Brit) any other urodele amphibian, including the salamanders
[C15: from a newt, a mistaken division of an ewt; ewt, from Old English evetaeft1]
n. a stupid person; a dull and uninteresting person. : Don't act like such a newt.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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