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Word of the day
for April 3
loggerhead n
  1. (obsolete) A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt.
  2. A metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end that is made hot in a fire, then plunged into some material (such as pitch or a liquid) to melt or heat it.
  3. (nautical) A post on a whaling boat used to secure the harpoon rope.
  4. (botany, Midlands, dialectal) Often in plural: a thistle-like flowering plant of the genus Centaurea, particularly the common knapweed (Centaurea nigra).
  5. (zoology) Used as the name of various animals with large heads.
    1. The loggerhead duck or Falkland steamer duck (Tachyeres brachypterus; formerly Tachyeres cinereus), a species of steamer duck endemic to the Falkland Islands.
    2. The loggerhead kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus), a bird endemic to the Caribbean and West Indies.
    3. The rufous-tailed flycatcher (Myiarchus validus), a bird endemic to Jamaica.
    4. The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a bird endemic to North America.
    5. The loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor), a large-headed turtle endemic to the United States.
    6. The loggerhead sea turtle or loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), an oceanic turtle found throughout the world.

To celebrate April Fools’ Day, we are featuring a series of less familiar cousins to common words – enjoy!

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