From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Whirligig \Whirl"i*gig\, n. [Whirl + gig.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A child's toy, spun or whirled around like a wheel upon an
axis, or like a top. --Johnson.
[1913 Webster]
2. Anything which whirls around, or in which persons or
things are whirled about, as a frame with seats or wooden
horses.
[1913 Webster]
With a whirligig of jubilant mosquitoes spinning
about each head. --G. W. Cable.
[1913 Webster]
3. A mediaeval instrument for punishing petty offenders,
being a kind of wooden cage turning on a pivot, in which
the offender was whirled round with great velocity.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of beetles belonging
to {Gyrinus} and allied genera. The body is firm, oval or
boatlike in form, and usually dark colored with a
bronzelike luster. These beetles live mostly on the
surface of water, and move about with great celerity in a
gyrating, or circular, manner, but they are also able to
dive and swim rapidly. The larva is aquatic. Called also
{weaver}, {whirlwig}, and {whirlwig beetle}.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
whirligig
n 1: a conical child's plaything tapering to a steel point on
which it can be made to spin; "he got a bright red top and
string for his birthday" [syn: {top}, {whirligig},
{teetotum}, {spinning top}]
2: a large, rotating machine with seats for children to ride or
amusement [syn: {carousel}, {carrousel}, {merry-go-round},
{roundabout}, {whirligig}]
v 1: whirl or spin like a whirligig
|
