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drongo (DRONG-goh) - n., any of about 30 species of insectivorous passerine birds (genus Dicrurus) of Africa, Asia, and Australia with long, forked tails and usually dark plumage.
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Also, in Australian slang, a dufus, fool, dumdum -- which is, yes, after the bird, but not directly, which is good because they are anything but stupid and clumsy. The intermediate step was a racehorse named Drongo, named after the bird (specifically, the native spangled drongo, D. bracteatus), from the 1920s who never won a race, and so became a etymon for a clumsy loser. The bird name comes from Malagasy, the language of Madagascar, the name for a local species.
And that's the end of another week of birbs. I won't be back next week with more, because the holiday week looks like it'll be chaotic, so I'm taking a break. But I'll be back in the new year with more words words words. Have a good holiday!
---L.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
Also, in Australian slang, a dufus, fool, dumdum -- which is, yes, after the bird, but not directly, which is good because they are anything but stupid and clumsy. The intermediate step was a racehorse named Drongo, named after the bird (specifically, the native spangled drongo, D. bracteatus), from the 1920s who never won a race, and so became a etymon for a clumsy loser. The bird name comes from Malagasy, the language of Madagascar, the name for a local species.
And that's the end of another week of birbs. I won't be back next week with more, because the holiday week looks like it'll be chaotic, so I'm taking a break. But I'll be back in the new year with more words words words. Have a good holiday!
---L.
