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Morepork
Definitions
- 1 The call of a morepork.
"[T]he morepork, a species of caprimulgus, or goatsucker,^([sic]) keeps up all night the exact repetition of its own name, "Morepork! morepork!" It is a sound to me most expressive of a dreary loneliness and twilight distance that I ever heard."
- 1 The Tasmanian spotted owl (Ninox novaeseelandiae), a small brown owl indigenous to New Zealand and Tasmania. New-Zealand
"[T]he eye of the Morepork or Greater Night Jarr,^([sic]) which I lately had the opportunity of examining, is wonderfully adapted for enabling it to see the insects in the dark, on which it feeds."
- 2 Used as a mild term of abuse.; A foolish person; also, a person who is wearisome. Australia, New-Zealand, colloquial, derogatory
"It is interesting that the Opposition morepork is starting to chirp. [...] We have all heard about the "gang of four and a half"—the morepork brigade."
- 3 Used as a mild term of abuse.; A person who is lazy or slow; a slowcoach, a slowpoke. Australia, New-Zealand, colloquial, derogatory
"Where's that old morepoke? O, you're there, are you? Fetch the jack off o' your wagon—come! fly roun'! you're (very) slow for a young fellow."
Etymology
The word is imitative of the bird's call.
The word is imitative of the bird's call.
See also for "morepork"
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