| 词汇 | cuckoo |
| 词源 | cuckoo. The cuckoo was so named for the one-note song it repeats over and over. Why it became a symbol for stupidity in the 16th century isn’t really known. Perhaps it got this reputa- tion because it lays its eggs in other birds’ nests, though many would consider this clever. Or we may owe this meaning of cuckoo to the folktale “Wise Men of Gotham,” in which the vil- lagers tried to prolong summer by fencing in the cuckoo so that it wouldn’t fly off. See cuckold; onomatopoeia. |
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