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widgeon or wigeon
Feb. 8th, 2016 07:56 amwidgeon or wigeon (WIJ-uhn) - n., any of three species of freshwater ducks of genus Anaa with a large white patch on the wings.
The species being the American wigeon (A. americana), Chiloé wigeon (A. sibilatrix), and the Eurasian wigeon (A. penelope). Related to mallards and teals, and even more closely to the gadwell. They are, even for birds, not known for their smarts, thus giving us the slang sense of a silly, stupid person (as used by Georgette Heyer, anyway). Attested from 1513, origin unknown, though there's speculation of it being related to modern French vigeon.
Hey! It's not a shorebird, okay?
---L.
The species being the American wigeon (A. americana), Chiloé wigeon (A. sibilatrix), and the Eurasian wigeon (A. penelope). Related to mallards and teals, and even more closely to the gadwell. They are, even for birds, not known for their smarts, thus giving us the slang sense of a silly, stupid person (as used by Georgette Heyer, anyway). Attested from 1513, origin unknown, though there's speculation of it being related to modern French vigeon.
Hey! It's not a shorebird, okay?
---L.
