What does "noddy" mean?
A silly or stupid person; a fool, an idiot.
Noddy
/ˈnɒdi/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A silly or stupid person; a fool, an idiot.
- Grammar: noddy is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bird, block, clod, dimwit.
- Useful contrasts: bright person, expert, genius.
- Usage evidence: Noddy wears a blue hat and red shoes.
How to use "noddy"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "noddy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
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Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "noddy" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A silly or stupid person; a fool, an idiot. archaic, countable
"I graunt for my parte by fayth of my body / why where the deuyll is this horeſon nody"
- 2 Any of several stout-bodied, gregarious terns of the genus Anous found in tropical seas, especially the brown noddy or common noddy (Anous stolidus).
"VVe savv no Land this Day, but ſavv a great many Snakes and ſome VVhales. VVe ſavv alſo ſome Boobies, and Noddy-birds; and in the Night caught one of theſe laſt. […] The Top or Crovvn of the Head of this Noddy was Coal-black, having alſo ſmall black Streaks round about and cloſe to the Eyes; and round theſe Streaks on each ſide, a pretty broad vvhite Circle. The Breaſt, Belly, and under part of the VVings of this Noddy vvere vvhite: And the Back and upper part of its VVings of a faint black or ſmoak Colour."
- 3 In full knave noddy: the jack or knave playing card. countable, historical
"The ſpout of ſport, and follies turtle Doue, / Noddie turn'd vp, all made, yet loſe the tricke."
- 4 A small two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse. Ireland, Scotland, historical
"[S]he has brought over a nevv language vvith her. […] VVhy a new kind of a London Engliſh, that's no more like our Iriſh Engliſh, than a coxcomb's fine gilded chariot like a Glaſſmanogue [i.e., Phibsborough, Dublin] noddy."
- 5 In full noddy-fifteen: a certain card game related to cribbage. historical, uncountable
"[W]ell let not me take you at Noddy anie more, leaſt I preſent you to the pariſh for a gamſter, this is the ninth ſet that you haue loſt, and yet you will not leaue off."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Synonym of fellatio. Multicultural-London-English, slang
"Bakin' off of this light skin hottie / Sweet ting, arch ya up and give noddy"
- 7 In full noddy-fifteen: a certain card game related to cribbage.; Synonym of sexual intercourse. broadly, countable, historical, obsolete, slang, uncountable
"I left her at Cardes, ſhee'll ſit vp till you come, becauſe ſhee'll haue you play a game at Noddie; […]"
- 8 Synonym of northern fulmar (“an Arctic seabird, Fulmarus glacialis”). Newfoundland, Northeastern, US
- 9 A cutaway scene of a television interviewer nodding at the person being interviewed (or sometimes the interviewee nodding at the interviewer), often used to cover an editing gap in an interview. UK, informal
"Noddies are often filmed after the interview in question has finished."
- 10 In clockmaking and watchmaking: an inverted pendulum consisting of a short, vertical, flat spring which supports a rod having a bob at the top, which is used for detecting and measuring slight horizontal vibrations of a body to which it is attached. obsolete
"The elegant inverted Pendulum or Noddy contrived by the late Mr Hardy, suggested to me a different arrangement. […] It is evident that, by adjusting the stiffness of the wire, or the height of the ball C, we may alter to any extent the relation of the forces of Elasticity and of Gravity, and consequently render the equilibrium of the machine in a vertical position stable, indifferent, or unstable."
- 11 In at noddy: a state of being asleep. obsolete, rare
"In Paternoſter-rovv, vve found a fellovv at nodie upon a ſtall, vvith his Lanthorn and Candle by him, having firſt ſeized on that, and throvvn it into the Kennel, vve proſecuted our abuſe by falling upon him, and beating him. […] [T]o our coſt, vve found him as nimble and as light footed as a Stag, vvho overtaking us, ſurprized us; and as he vvas carrying us before the Conſtable, vve met vvith the grand Round, vvho, vvithout as much examination, committed us as Rates to the Counter."
Verb
- 1 Synonym of noddify (“to make (someone) into a noddy (noun etymology 1 sense 1), to make a fool of”) obsolete, rare, transitive
"If ſuch an Aſſe be noddied for the nonce, / I ſay but this, to helpe his Idle fit; / Let him but thanke himſelfe for lacke of VVit, […]"
Adjective
- 1 Foolish, silly, stupid. England, regional
"For that no man shulde se / Nor rede in any scrolles / Of theyr dronken nolles, / Nor of theyr noddy polles, […]"
- 2 Drowsy, sleepy. archaic
"[…] I'll say a prayer and try to go to sleep. I feel very noddy all at once."
Antonyms
Example
"Noddy wears a blue hat and red shoes."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "noddy"?
Common synonyms include: bird, block, clod, dimwit, dolt, donkey.
How do you use "noddy" in a sentence?
Noddy wears a blue hat and red shoes.
How do you pronounce "noddy"?
Pronounced /ˈnɒdi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Noun etymology 1 sense 1 is possibly from nod (“to incline the head up and down; to gradually fall asleep”) + -y (suffix forming diminutive nouns or familiar names); or a shortening of noddypoll, an obsolete alteration of hoddypoll (“fumbling, inept person”). The origin of noun etymology 1 sense 2 is uncertain; it is possibly derived from etymology 1 sense 1. Compare muggins (“fool, idiot; card game based on building in suits or matching exposed cards, the object being to get rid of one’s cards”). The origin of the adjective is uncertain; it is possibly also from nod (verb) + -y (suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). The verb is derived from noun etymology 1 sense 1.
Etymology 2
From nod (“to incline the head up and down; to gradually fall asleep”) + -y (suffix forming diminutive nouns or familiar names; and meaning ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). Noun etymology 2 sense 1 (“tern of the genus Anous”) possibly refers to the nodding behaviour of the birds during courtship. Etymology 2 sense 3 (“fellatio”) refers to the nodding motion of the head of a person performing the sex act. Etymology 2 sense 5 (“cutaway scene of a television interviewer nodding”) was coined by the English cultural theorist and media scholar John Fiske (1939–2021) in 1987. Etymology 2 sense 6.2 (“state of being asleep”) is possibly a pun on etymology 1, etymology 1 sense 2.2.1 (“sexual intercourse”).