coot

White-billed waterbird

A coot is a dark waterbird with a distinctive white bill, found on lakes and ponds.

The bird's bold, somewhat comical behavior likely inspired the informal sense: an eccentric or foolish person, especially an elderly man.

That old coot has been feeding pigeons in the park for thirty years.

waterbird

duck

Waterbird that quacks

moorhenSmall aquatic rail bird
grebeFreshwater diving bird
gallinuleAquatic rail family bird

rail · heron · mudhen · waterfowl · marsh · wetland · pond · lake · reedbed · nesting

elderly

geezer

Informal term for old man

codgerCrusty elderly man
fogeyPerson stuck in past
curmudgeonIll-tempered, stubborn person

old-timer · dotard · fossil · antique · eccentric · stubborn · set in ways · cantankerous · grumpy · cranky

plumage

black

Darkest possible hue

sootyCovered in black residue
darkAbsence of light
red eyesIrritated, pinkish scleras

downy · chick · molting · preen · feathers · waterproof · juvenile · distinctive

idiom

hairless

Having no fur

shinyReflecting light smoothly
pateUpper part of skull
chrome domeBald head, facetiously

smooth · bare · gleaming

Categories

gruiformesrail, crake, moorhen, gallinule, swamphen
birdsrobin, crow, eagle, owl, duck
age slanggeezer, codger, old fart, old timer, old-timer
bird wordsrobin, eagle, swan, sparrow, crow
British Wildlifered deer, badgers, grey squirrel, foxes, otter
lake wildlifeperch, pike, bream, roach, eel

Opposites

bird type/taxonomy

cootduck

Waterbird that quacks

mallard · teal · wigeon · pintail · goose

age and demeanor

cootspring chicken

Young, inexperienced person

youngster · young buck · bright young thing · youth · young blood

Phrases

cootie catcherFolded paper divination toy
old cootIrritable elderly man
bald as a cootUtterly without hair

Family

cootie, cooties, coots

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G