cuckoo definition - Dictionary

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cuckoo

cuck·oo [ k k, k k ]

noun (plural cuck·oos)

Definition:

1. bird laying in others' nests: a bird that lays its eggs in the nests of other birds that bring the nestlings up as their own. Native to: Europe. Latin name Cuculus canorus.

2. bird related to true cuckoo: a bird that is a member of the cuckoo family

3. cuckoo's call: the characteristic two-note call of the European cuckoo

4. somebody regarded as eccentric: somebody regarded as eccentric or unconventional ( informal ) ( sometimes offensive )

adjective

Definition:

eccentric: eccentric or unconventional ( informal )

intransitive verb (past and past participle cuck·ooed, present participle cuck·oo·ing, 3rd person present singular cuck·oos)

Definition:

give call of cuckoo: to make the characteristic two-note call of the cuckoo

[13th century. < Old French cucu, an imitation of its call]

Cultural Note


	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a movie (1975) by U.S. director Milos Forman. Based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel, it describes how mischievous convict Randle McMurphy inspires his fellow inmates at a mental health facility to rebel against the disciplinarian Nurse Ratched. The movie can be seen as a metaphor for the conflict between individuality and creativity and society's pressure to conform.