wingding
See also: Wingding
English
editPronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Etymology 1
editReduplication of wing (“arm”).
Alternative forms
editNoun
editwingding (plural wingdings)
- (slang) A fit or spasm.
- 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 243:
- ‘She threw a wingding. Looked like a mild epileptic fit to me.’
- (slang) A party.
- 1982, Donald Fagen (lyrics and music), “New Frontier”, in The Nightfly:
- Yes we're gonna have a wingding / A summer smoker underground
Translations
editparty — see party
Further reading
edit- “wing-ding n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present
Etymology 2
editAfter the Wingdings font developed by Microsoft in 1990. Its name was presumably derived from dingbat and earlier senses of wingding.
Noun
editwingding (plural wingdings)
- (computing, typography) A dingbat (ornamental typographical symbol), especially one from the Wingdings font.
- 2004, Mary Millhollon, Katherine Murray, Microsoft Office Word 2003 Inside Out, page 202:
- Instead of going through the menu selections needed to insert a special symbol like a Wingding, you can rely on AutoCorrect to substitute the symbol for the text you type […]
- 2011, Suzanne Gilad, Copyediting and Proofreading For Dummies, page 179:
- Don't know a wingding from a ring-a-ding-ding? Check out one of the For Dummies books on Microsoft Office.