—n. any bird of the family Cuculidae, esp. Cuculus canorus, having a characteristic cry, and depositing its eggs in the nests of small birds.
—predic.adj. sl. crazy, foolish.
Phrases and idioms:
cuckoo clock a clock that strikes the hour with a sound like a cuckoo's call, usu. with the emergence on each note of a mechanical cuckoo. cuckoo flower
1 a meadow plant, Cardamine pratensis, with pale lilac flowers.
2 = ragged robin. cuckoo in the nest an unwelcome intruder. cuckoo-pint a wild arum, Arum maculatum, with arrow-shaped leaves and scarlet berries: also called lords and ladies (see LORD). cuckoo-spit froth exuded by larvae of insects of the family Cercopidae on leaves, stems, etc.
Etymology: ME f. OF cucu, imit.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.