Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun a fictional animal with two heads at opposing ends of its body, in Hugh Lofting's The Story of Doctor Dolittle.
  • adjective conflicting or contradictory.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • And that's the thing -- partly a review, partly an overview, partly a pushmi-pullyu -- that is now available both in the print edition and via the website as a PDF, as are all the articles.

    Archive 2008-05-01 2008

  • And that's the thing -- partly a review, partly an overview, partly a pushmi-pullyu -- that is now available both in the print edition and via the website as a PDF, as are all the articles.

    New New Haven Review 2008

  • "Yes, I'll go," said the pushmi-pullyu who saw at once, from the

    The Story of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

  • Poor Gub-Gub was dreadfully frightened; and the pushmi-pullyu began to sharpen his horns for a fight by rubbing them on the mast of the ship; while Jip kept springing into the air and barking and calling Ben Ali bad names in dog-language.

    The Story of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

  • But you could not do this with the pushmi-pullyu -- because, no matter which way you came towards him, he was always facing you.

    The Story of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

  • Then the pushmi-pullyu, the white mouse, Gub-Gub, Dab-Dab, Jip and the owl, Too-Too, went on to the ship with the Doctor.

    The Story of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

  • First he went traveling through the land with the pushmi-pullyu in a gipsy-wagon, stopping at all the country-fairs.

    The Story of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

  • And the pushmi-pullyu would stay inside the wagon, while the other animals would lie about underneath.

    The Story of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

  • So the monkeys traveled back with the pushmi-pullyu.

    The Story of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

  • And after they had gone a good many miles, one of them found peculiar footprints near the edge of a river; and they knew that a pushmi-pullyu must be very near that spot.

    The Story of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

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