Okay, now Merriam’s. If you are going to teach us a new word, give us a definition we can understand!
Today’s word is popinjay, a noun meaning, “a strutting supercilious person.” Say What?
Well, Merriam’s tells us that “supercilious” means “coolly and patronizingly haughty,” which gets that average reader a little closer, anyway.
Here is the real-world, everyday grammar definition of popinjay (which is such a fun word by the way. Sounds so British. Oh yeah, it is British.). This one comes from dictionary.com.
1. a person given to vain, pretentious displays and empty chatter; coxcomb; fop.
2. British Dialect. a woodpecker, esp. the green woodpecker.
3. Archaic. the figure of a parrot usually fixed on a pole and used as a target in archery and gun shooting.
4. Archaic. a parrot.
Mucho Bettero, dictionary.com. Thank you!
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