tall poppy
i noun, plural pop·pies for 1, 2, 4–7.
1.
any plant of the genus Papaver, having showy, usually red flowers. Compare poppy family.
2.
any of several related or similar plants, as the California poppy or the prickly poppy.
3.
an extract, as opium, from such a plant.
4.
Also called poppy red. an orangish red resembling scarlet.
5.
Architecture, poppyhead.
7.
tall poppy, Australian. someone of preeminence or with a large income; important and powerful person.
00:10
Tall poppy
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English popæg, papig ≪ Vulgar Latin *papāvum, for Latin papāver
before 900; Middle English; Old English popæg, papig ≪ Vulgar Latin *papāvum, for Latin papāver
Related forms
pop·py·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To tall poppy
Collins
World English Dictionary
poppy1 (ˈpɒpɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -pies | |
| 1. | corn poppy Iceland poppy See opium poppy any of numerous papaveraceous plants of the temperate genus Papaver, having red, orange, or white flowers and a milky sap |
| 2. | any of several similar or related plants, such as the California poppy, prickly poppy, horned poppy, and Welsh poppy |
| 3. | obsolete any of the drugs, such as opium, that are obtained from these plants |
| 4. | a. a strong red to reddish-orange colour |
| b. (as adjective): a poppy dress | |
| 5. | a less common name for poppyhead |
| 6. | an artificial red poppy flower worn to mark Remembrance Sunday |
| [Old English popæg, ultimately from Latin papāver] | |
| poppy2 (ˈpɒpɪ) | |
| —adj , -pier, -piest | |
| of or relating to pop music | |
| tall poppy | |
| —n | |
| informal (Austral) a person who has a high salary or is otherwise prominent | |
| [perhaps from Tarquin's decapitation of the tallest poppies in his garden, to indicate the fate of the most prominent citizens of Gabii] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
poppy
O.E. popæg, from W.Gmc. *papua-, probably from V.L. *papavum, from L. papaver "poppy," perhaps a reduplicated form of imitative base *pap- "to swell." Associated with battlefields and war dead at least since Waterloo (1815).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
poppy pop·py (pŏp'ē)
n.
Any of numerous plants of the genus Papaver, having showy red, orange, or white flowers, a milky juice, and capsules that dehisce through terminal pores.
An extract from the sap of unripe poppy seedpods, used in medicine and narcotics.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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