Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
A whimsical monster in folklore and children's fiction; a bugbear.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: humorous, often
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: bogeyman, bugbear, gremlin
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: monster
noun
A term of disparagement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A ruling in which the opening stake limits are doubled for the next play after the appearance of a very good hand.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: card-games, poker
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Of American origin. First use appears c.1856. Popularized by appearing in a sermon parody attributed to William P. Brannan as "Where the lion roareth and the whangdoodle mourneth for her first-born," published in The Harp of a Thousand Strings: Or, Laughter for a Lifetime (1858). Roald Dahl uses the term in at least three stories of his: James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Minpins. In at least two of those stories, namely Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Minpins, the whangdoodle is stated to be a vicious monster.
Across languages
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
