Cuddie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small donkey or pony, a term used in Scottish dialect ; a foolish or dim-witted person, as used in Scots speech
2. In Scottish usage, a donkey or a small horse ; in the same dialect, a simpleton or someone considered dull and slow-witted
3. A Scots word for a donkey or pony ; a Scottish colloquial term for a silly, foolish or dim person

Etymology: In Scotland and northern England, a "cuddie" is a donkey, and for generations it was a plain name for a working beast of burden. Its most famous bearer is a fictional carter's boy: Walter Scott's novel "The Antiquary" includes Cuddie Headrigg, whose stubbornness and shrewd common sense made the name a byword for the Scottish lowland labourer. The word's origin is uncer­tain. One suggestion links it to "Cuddie", a familiar pet form of the personal name Cuthbert, so that the animal would carry a nickname usually given to a person. Scottish dialect has many such pet names for animals, but no source I can rely on confirms that this is how the donkey sense arose.

Synonyms: donkey, ass