Definition of "noddy"

Hum. If it be so, my friend, you use me fine, What do you thinke I am? Iasp. An arrant noddieHum. A word of obliquie, now by Gods bodie,I'le tell thy maister for I know thee well.

1607 (first performance), [Francis Beaumont], The Knight of the Burning Pestle, London: […] [Nicholas Okes] for Walter Burre, […], published 1613, Act II, signature [D4], recto

Leo Decimus […] made […] soft fellowes, starke noddies; and such as we[r]e foolish, quite mad before hee left them.

1628, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Oxford: Henry Cripps, 3rd edition, Part I, Section 2, Member 4, Subsection 4, p. 142

Were not Those blessed days when our Divines had Salesmen, and Mechaniques for their Tryers; and the Laity a supercilious Company of Classical, and Congregational Noddys for the Inspectours of our Lives and Manners […]

1679, Roger L’Estrange, Answer to the Appeal from the Country to the City‎, London: Henry Brome, page 25

Why, what a noddy have I been, to take this strapper always for a girl!

1795, Hannah Cowley, The Town Before You, A Comedy‎, London: T.N. Longman, act V, page 84

[…] I am but a simple noddy […]

1823 July 15, [Lord Byron], Don Juan. Cantos VI.—VII.—and VIII., London: […] [C. H. Reynell] for John Hunt, […], canto VII, stanza 21

At last the people in a bodyTo the Town Hall came flocking;“’Tis clear,” cried they, “our Mayor’s a noddy; […] ”

1842, Robert Browning, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, in Cavalier Tunes, The Lost Leader and Other Poems‎, Boston: Educational Publishing Company, published 1906, Stanza III, lines 21-23, p. 21

We saw no Land this day, but saw a great many Snakes and some Whales. We saw also some Boobies, and Noddy-birds; and in the night caught one of these last. […] The Top or Crown of the Head of this Noddy was Coal-black, having also small black streaks round about and close to the Eyes; and round these streaks on each side, a pretty broad white circle. The Breast, Belly, and under-part of the Wings of this Noddy were white: and the Back and upper-part of its Wings of a faint black or smoak Colour.

1703, William Dampier, A Voyage to New Holland‎, volume 3, London: James Knapton, page 142

The Rocks and outer Lines of the Island, are the Haunts of variety of Sea-Birds, especially Boobies and Noddies […] . The Noddies are smaller and flat footed also.

1724, Daniel Defoe, chapter 9, in A General History of the Pyrates‎, 2nd edition, London: T. Warner, page 195

At noon ſome noddies came ſo near to us, that one of them was caught by hand. This bird was about the ſize of a ſmall pigeon. I divided it, with its entrails, into 18 portions, and by a well-known method at ſea, of, Who ſhall have this? it was diſtributed, with the allowance of bread and water for dinner, and eat up bones and all, with ſalt water for ſauce.

1792, William Bligh, chapter XV, in A Voyage to the South Sea, […] in His Majesty’s Ship The Bounty, […], London: […] George Nicol, […], page 194

We found on St. Paul’s only two kinds of birds—the booby and the noddy. The former is a species of gannet, and the latter a tern. Both are of a tame and stupid disposition, and are so unaccustomed to visitors, that I could have killed any number of them with my geological hammer.

1839, Robert FitzRoy, Phillip Parker King, Charles Darwin, chapter 1, in Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty’s Ships Adventure and Beagle, between the Years 1826 and 1836, […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Henry Colburn, […]

A cloud of sea birds hovered overhead, the gannets diving with folded wings, while the black noddy-terns fluttered down in companies each time the fish drove the small fry to the surface.

1933, Charles Nordhoff, James Norman Hall, chapter 1, in Pitcairn’s Island‎

Coun[sellor]. What do you mean by a new language?O’Dogh[erty]. Why a new kind of a London English, that’s no more like our Irish English, than a coxcomb’ fine gilded chariot like a Glassmanogue noddy.

1783, Charles Macklin, The True-Born Irishman: or, Irish Fine Lady‎, Dublin, act I, page 8

'By Jove, I think one of us must go into town. […] ''Let's see Nutter—you or I must go—we'll take one of these songster's "noddies."'

1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard

Let ’hem embrace more frugal pastimes. Why should not the thrifty and right worshipful game of Post and Pair content ’hem? Or the witty invention of Noddie, for counters? or God make them rich, at the Tables? but Masking, and Revelling?

1616, Ben Jonson, “Love Restored”, in The Works of Ben Jonson‎, London: H. Herringman et al., published 1692, page 371

NODDY. An old game of cards conjectured to be the same as cribbage.

1847, James Orchard Halliwell, Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words‎, volume 2, London: John Russell Smith, page 579

Bakin off of this light skin hottieSweet ting, arch ya up and give noddy

2024 January 13, “Aint A joke”, Shmurda x Dontplay (lyrics), 1:39