In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
POPINJAY
popinjay
(noun) an archaic term for a parrot
popinjay
(noun) a vain and talkative person (chatters like a parrot)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
popinjay (plural popinjays)
(now, archaic, outside, heraldry) A parrot. [from 14th c.; in heraldry from 15th c.]
(obsolete) A decorative image of a parrot on a tapestry, cloth etc. [14th-16th c.]
A vain, gaudy person; someone who is shallow or superficial. [from 16th c.]
(archery) A target to shoot at, typically stuffed with feathers or plumage. [from 16th c.]
(UK) The green woodpecker, Picus viridis. [from 19th c.]
Source: Wiktionary
Pop"in*jay, n. Etym: [OE. popingay, papejay, OF. papegai, papegaut; cf. Pr. papagai, Sp. & Pg. papagayo, It. pappagallo, LGr. gallus cock, or the same word as E. jay, F. geai. Cf. Papagay.]
1. (Zoöl.) (a) The green woodpecker. (b) A parrot. The pye and popyngay speak they know not what. Tyndale.
2. A target in the form of a parrot. [Scot.]
3. A trifling, chattering, fop or coxcomb. "To be so pestered with a popinjay." Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
7 February 2025
STORY
(noun) a piece of fiction that narrates a chain of related events; “he writes stories for the magazines”
Coffee Trivia
