coo-coo clock
English
editNoun
editcoo-coo clock (plural coo-coo clocks)
- Misspelling of cuckoo clock.
- 1917, Edward Pitt, “The Hee-Haw Horse”, in The Woolerwee, and Other Hoosier Poems[1], page 6:
- He has a pleasant open face,
Like our old coo-coo clock
- 1942 March 13, “War Conditions Make It Impossible To Repeat This Sensational Offer!”, in Movie and Radio Guide[2] (advertisement), page 36:
- This fine Coo-Coo Clock, with its beautiful walnut finished case and its precision movement, its unusual and intricate design, will add charm and beauty to any room
- 2018, Johnny Gruelle, Beloved Belindy, page 51:
- “But now the little bird is broken, Beloved Belindy!” Cleety said. “Marcella’s nice Daddy said so and I heard something inside the coo-coo clock snap as if something had broken!”
Usage notes
editThe common misspelling may constitute an eggcorn, a seemingly plausible reanalysis of the phrase; compare coo.