ruddy

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See also:Ruddy

English

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WOTD – 3 October 2007

Etymology

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FromMiddle Englishruddy,rody,rudi,fromOld Englishrudiġ(“reddish; ruddy”),fromrudu(“redness”),equivalent torud(“redness”)+‎-y.CompareIcelandicroði(“redness”).

The British slang sense expressing irritation is presumably a euphemism forbloody.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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ruddy(comparativeruddier,superlativeruddiest)

  1. Reddishin color, especially of theface,fire,orsky.
    • 2020September 1, Tom Lamont, “The butcher's shop that lasted 300 years (give or take)”, inThe Guardian‎[1]:
      Frank, who is narrow andruddy,and who tended to wear a shirt and tie with a cherry-red beanie pulled low over one ear, swapped his white butcher’s coat for a puffer jacket, and led me outside
  2. (British,Australia,slang,not comparable)A mild intensifier, expressing irritation.
    • 1960,P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse,“XVIII AND XX”, inJeeves in the Offing,London:Herbert Jenkins,→OCLC:
      “Of all the damn silly fatheaded things!” she vociferated, if that's the word. “With a millionruddynames to choose from, theseruddyCreams call oneruddyson Wilbert and the otherruddyson Wilfred, and both theseruddysons are known as Willie. Just going out of their way to mislead the innocent bystander. You'd think people would have more consideration.”
    • 1991,Lynn Johnston,What, Me Pregnant?(For Better or For Worse) (comic), page37:
      Michael, you have been sitting on your butt for the last two hours! Why didn't you mow theruddylawn?!!
    • 1999,J. K. Rowling, chapter 2, inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,Bloomsbury:
      I shall monitor your behaviour carefully during Marge’s visit. If, at the end of it, you’ve toed the line and kept to the story, I’ll sign yourruddyform.
    • 2017,David Walliams[pseudonym; David Edward Williams],Bad Dad,London:HarperCollins Children’s Books,→ISBN:
      If he moved a muscle, they would both be in DEEP TROUBLE.
      “It must have been a bird, Mr Big,” said Dad.
      “Ruddybig bird,” muttered the little man. “Now we have to get out of here before the fuzz start sniffing around. Fingers, get the Rolls resprayed and change the number plates in case they trace it.”
      “Yes, guv’nor.”

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Adverb

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ruddy(notcomparable)

  1. (British,slang)A mild intensifier, expressing irritation.
    • 2009October 29,David Walliams[pseudonym; David Edward Williams],Mr Stink,London:HarperCollins Children’s Books,→ISBN:
      “So, you made quite a splash on Question Time, my homeless pal,” he continued. “Ruddyhilarious. Ha ha ha!”
    • 2017,June Francis,When the Clouds Go Rolling By:
      'You're notruddygoing anywhere,' he said, slamming the door behind him.

Noun

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ruddy(pluralruddies)

  1. (informal)Aruddy duck.
    • 2007November 4, Deborah Baldwin, “Close to Nature, and the Airport”, inNew York Times‎[2]:
      In winter, snow geese land at West Pond, a Robert Moses legacy that ought to be called Duck Soup: at this time of year look forruddies,greater scaups, Northern pintails, American widgeons and gadwalls.
  2. (informal)Aruddy ground dove.
    • 1987,Jürgen Nicolai,A Complete Introduction to Finches,Tfh Publications Incorporated,→ISBN,page89:
      Ground doves — tworuddiesare shown here — are so called because they feed on the ground.
    • 1994,Birding,page298:
      Understandably, birders in the U.S. are advised to carefully distinguishRuddiesfrom the usually more-expected Common Ground-Doves [...]. (Brightly-colored, pinkish adult male Common Ground-Doves have been misidentified as maleRuddieson several occasions, however.) Unless the fortunate birder happens upon a Ruddy Ground-Dove amongst a flock of sparrows, it will often be necessary to sort through innumerable Inca Doves.
    • 2005,Richard Cachor Taylor,A Birder's Guide to Southeastern Arizona,page237:
      Common Ground-Dove — Fairly common permanent resident of better-watered valleys at lower elevations. Avoids town [...] Ironically,Ruddiesoften ignore the little flocks of closely related Commons, and choose to associate with Inca Doves.
    • 2008,Jim Burns,Jim Burns' Arizona Birds: From the Backyard to the Backwoods,University of Arizona Press,→ISBN,page28:
      Out-of-state birders seeking Ruddy Ground Doves should be aware of two things.Ruddiesassociate much more frequently with Inca Doves than with Common Ground Doves. In fact, in eleven personal sightings of this species in Arizona, I have never seen aRuddywith a Common nor has anyone else I know. [...] Perhaps this is a slow invasion, and forty years henceRuddieswill be so common...

Verb

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ruddy(third-person singular simple presentruddies,present participleruddying,simple past and past participleruddied)

  1. (transitive)To make reddish in colour.
    The sunsetruddiedour faces.

See also

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