bobblehead en · NOUN
Etymology
From bobble + head. Sense 3 derives from a common gesture found in South Asian cultures, most notably in India.
Meanings
- A collectible doll with a bobbing head.
-
(derogatory, figuratively) A thoughtless person.
Will Trump and his G.O.P. bobbleheads ever wake up to that? Maybe — when it’s too late.
2025 February 25, Thomas L. Friedman, “The Disturbing Question at the Heart of the Trump-Putin Drama”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:Muzzling Kelly also elevates a semi-professional obscurantist to the status of free speech martyr, and that invites a cacophonous pile-on from the rightwing bobble heads who screech about the left’s obsession with identity politics while shovelling identity politics at their audiences.
2021 February 2, Katharine Murphy, “Scott Morrison must heed the lesson of Donald Trump and slap down Craig Kelly”, in The Guardian:
- (derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slang, slur, uncommon) An Indian.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bobble head | alternative | lexicographic | |
| bobbleheads | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
bobbleheaded · bobble-head doll syndrome
Translations (2)
de Wackelkopffigur (doll with a bobbing head) · de Wackeldackel (doll with a bobbing head)