Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A name given by Le Vaillant, in the form drongeur, to a South African bird afterward known as the musical drongo, Dicrurus musicus; then extended to the numerous African, Asiatic, and East Indian fly-catching crow-like birds with long forked tails which compose the family Dicruridæ. They are also called drongo-shrikes. The Buchanga atra of India and the further East is an example.
- n. [capitalized] [NL.] The generic name of a Madagascan species usually known as Dicrurus or Edolius forficatus. In this sense the quasi-Latin form Drongus is found.
Wiktionary
- n. Various birds of the family Dicruridae.
- n. fool, idiot.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A passerine bird of the family
Dicruridæ . They are usually black with a deeply forked tail. They are natives of Asia, Africa, and Australia; -- called alsodrongo shrikes .
Examples
“In many ways and attributes the drongo is a character.”
“Having heard of the melancholy effects of over-indulgence in melaleuca nectar, I was not at all disposed to judge of the misbehaviour harshly or to take personal offence; for the drongo is a respectable bird, and the opportunities for excess come but twice a year.”
“The following week ABC Media Watch host Jonathan Holmes called Newman a "drongo", and said that "in a week when another ugly attack on Indian students has again put the international spotlight on racism in Australia, surely we can do without garbage like that".”
“If he is to be replaced, it'll be by another so called New Labour drongo (Milliband i suspect) who will probably be forced to hold a lose a General Election.”
“The greater racket-tailed drongo mimics the songs of other birds.”
“Aldabran drongo Dicrurus aldabranus (approximately 1,500 individuals) is also an endemic species which inhabits scrub, mangrove and casuarina areas.”
““Aussie slang: drongo – a stupid, inept, awkward or embarrassing person, a dimwit or slow-witted person””
A Dumbass By Any Other Name | Motivational Humor from the Motivational Smart Ass!
“I may have to work the word “drongo” into future posts.”
A Dumbass By Any Other Name | Motivational Humor from the Motivational Smart Ass!
“If you know of other synonyms for “dumb ass” or “drongo” post them in the comments – especially if they are foreign words or slang!”
A Dumbass By Any Other Name | Motivational Humor from the Motivational Smart Ass!
“Also, the introduction of the black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus), a passerine bird native to Africa, Asia, and Australia, has been implicated in the rapid decline of the Rota bridled white-eye (Zosterops rotensis).”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘drongo’.
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• De rerum natura
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Interesting words in nature and natural science (in any language!).
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You can add species names that you lov...lagerstätte, parthenogenesis, bushbaby, lepidoptera, dinoflagellate, pupation, chrysalis, ephemeroptera, deinococcus radio..., homoplasy, sciophilous, syncytium and 218 more...
knitandpurl "Lester smiled. Don't ever join the army.
Geez, one army's enough.
She's a good woman, Quick. She's worth two of me.
But she makes a lousy pasty.
Go on, you drongo."
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton, p 257 of the Graywolf Press hardcover edition Apr 3, 2010
mollusque Like a person speaking in a second (and third and fourth) language, the drongo was making the very calls the other species would have made if they had been present....before it flew away, the bird mimicked the call of a common predator in the rain forest, the crested serpent eagle....Then it took off in the direction of its flock. We were left speechless. What had we just observed, and why had the drongo behaved that way?
--Eben Goodale, Amila Salgado and Sarath W. Kotagama, 2008, "Birds of a Different Feather", Natural History 117(6):25. Jun 25, 2008
yarb An Aussie gem meaning "slow-witted person". See also galah. Nov 17, 2007