WORD FOR THE DAY: NEDDY

Your word for today is: neddy, n.1

neddy, n.¹

[‘A donkey; an ass.’]

Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈnɛdi/,  U.S. /ˈnɛdi/

Forms:   15 17– neddy,   18– neddie.   Also with capital initial.

Etymology: <  Ned, pet-form of the male forename Edward + -y suffix⁶.

In sense 1a after generic use of Neddy as a name for a donkey.

 colloq.

 1.

 a  A donkey; an ass.

1545  in Shropshire Parish Documents (1903) 79 Off rycharde Harper for a Neddy.

a1790  H. T. Potter New Dict. Cant & Flash (1795), Neddy, a jackass.

1794  J. Wolcot Rowland for Oliver in Wks. (1816) II. 119 Thou think'st thyself on Pegasus so steady; But, Peter, thou art mounted on a Neddy.

1815  W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 82 He was never yet able To serve as last sweeper in Pegasus' stable; But claims, for thus proving to Folly so steady, The station of groom to a lanky-ear'd Neddy.

1858  C M. Yonge Christmas Mummers 5 There is old Harry Spinner's grey donkey..and Mrs. Brown's handsome Neddy.

1894  S. Baring-Gould Kitty Alone III. 19 The neddy is in the stable here, and there is his cart.

1910  W. H. Hudson Shepherd's Life (1993) vi. 59 He..gave himself a hard life, and he was hard on his neddies, but he had to feed them well.

1993  A. Higgins Lions of Grunewald xviii. 107 Goats and donkeys strayed about the Grand Canal paths.and an inquisitive neddy poked its bony elongated head inside the hood of Nico's pram.

 b.  A stupid or silly person; a fool; an idiot.

1823  ‘J. Bee’ Slang 124 Neddy—sometimes ‘ass-neger’, other names for jackass—the living emblem of patience and long suffering.

1853  Thackeray Newcomes (1854) I. i. 4 All types of all characters march through all fables:..victims and bullies; dupes and knaves; long-eared Neddies, giving themselves leonine airs.

1854  A. E. Baker Gloss. Northamptonshire Words II. 49 What a neddy you must be, to do that!

1901  R. W. Buchanan Compl. Poet. Wks. II. 385 Would I change with a lord? I'm not quite such a neddy! No, wealth and fine raiment are fiddlede-dee!

1963  L. Deighton Horse under Water xlix. 212 ‘I'm sorry,’ he said, ‘you must think I'm a terrible neddie.’

†c.  A slow or clumsy thing. Obs. nonce-use.

1866  R. D. Blackmore Cradock Nowell (1883) lvii. 400 A beautiful schooner of the true American rig, which made such lagging neddies of our yachts a few years since.

 d.  Austral. slang. A horse, esp. a racehorse.

1887 Tibbs' Pop. Song Bk. 9 So they saddled up the Neddys And like loafers sneaked away.

1900  J Scott Tales Colonial Turf 33 The neddy was in the bag in the Cup; he was no trier.

1918  B. Cronin Coastlanders 74 A hot cinder lit on my neddie's rump.

1965  W. Dick Bunch of Ratbags 40 My old man was backing the neddies as usual.

1981 Bulletin (Sydney) 8 Sept. 47/2 Needing extra money for the neddies, he'd let it be known that guests were expected to cough up.

2000 Sun-Herald (Sydney) 18 June 115/6 The remote worked when someone in the grandstand pointed it at the neddy of his hopes and gave it a shock.

 2.  slang (chiefly Austral. and N.Z.). A club; a cosh.

1845  F. W. Carew No. 747 xxxvi. 423 The remainder of the outfit comprised..a glazier's diamond, for cutting out a pane of glass: a ‘neddy’ or life-preserver: some ‘dumb sparklers’ [etc.]

1854 Illustr. Sydney News 20 May 63/1 The prisoner then drew a short ‘neddy’ from his breast and laid about him.

1864 Cornhill Mag. 6 647 The weapon is generally a ‘neddy’ or life-preserver.

1879 Macmillan's Mag. Oct. 503/1 We shall want..the stick (crow-bar), and bring a Neddie (life-preserver) with you.

1912  in  J. Wilson Reminisc. Early Settlem. Dunedin 51 If [the constable]..strikes with his ‘neddy,’ we'll kill him.

1923  F. L. Packard Four Stragglers I. ii, ‘A bit of a “cushing” expedition, was it?’..‘Just the usual bash on the head with a neddy’.

1989 Sunday Mail Mag. (Brisbane) 10 Sept. 34/4 The spielers had their neddies and knuckle dusters, tables and stools were smashed up for weapons and police were yelled for.

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