Dictionary

ruddy en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɹʌdi/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-der. Old English rudu Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Old English rudiġ Middle English rody English ruddy Inherited from Middle English rody, from Old English rudiġ (“reddish; ruddy”), from rudu + -iġ. By surface analysis, rud (“redness”) + -y. Compare Icelandic roði (“redness”). The British slang sense expressing irritation is presumably a euphemism for bloody.

Meanings

1. Reddish in color, especially of the face, fire, or sky.
   • A silvery cloud drifted over the mountains that surrounded him, its edges glowing with ruddy light cast from the harvest moon cradled between two peaks. 2003, Christopher Paolini, “Discovery”, in Eragon, page 6:
   • Frank, who is narrow and ruddy, and who tended to wear a shirt and tie with a cherry-red beanie pulled low over one ear, swapped his white butcher’s coat for a puffer jacket, and led me outside 2020 September 1, Tom Lamont, “The butcher's shop that lasted 300 years (give or take)”, in The Guardian:
   • Drystone walls, farm buildings and stone cottages, roofed with ruddy tiles, line the way and blend gently into the surrounding countryside. 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, →ISBN, page 143:
2. Robust and vigorous, like a person with a red complexion (as compared to a pale one).
   • in ruddy health
3. (Australia, UK, not-comparable, slang) A mild intensifier, expressing irritation.
   • "Sister?" I inquired. "She ain't 'ere," a man's voice said. "What's more," it went on, "she ain't been 'ere for ruddy hours, neither. Can't you pull them ruddy curtains, mate, and let's 'ave some flippin' light?" 1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 19:
   • If he moved a muscle, they would both be in DEEP TROUBLE. “It must have been a bird, Mr Big,” said Dad. “Ruddy big bird,” muttered the little man. “Now we have to get out of here before the fuzz start sniffing around. Fingers, get the Rolls resprayed and change the number plates in case they trace it.” “Yes, guv’nor.” 2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:
   • “Of all the damn silly fatheaded things!” she vociferated, if that's the word. “With a million ruddy names to choose from, these ruddy Creams call one ruddy son Wilbert and the other ruddy son Wilfred, and both these ruddy sons are known as Willie. Just going out of their way to mislead the innocent bystander. You'd think people would have more consideration.” 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “XVIII AND XX”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
   • Michael, you have been sitting on your butt for the last two hours! Why didn't you mow the ruddy lawn?!! 1991, Lynn Johnston, What, Me Pregnant? (For Better or For Worse) (comic), page 37:
   • I shall monitor your behaviour carefully during Marge’s visit. If, at the end of it, you’ve toed the line and kept to the story, I’ll sign your ruddy form. 1999, J. K. Rowling, chapter 2, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bloomsbury:

Forms

Deriveds

ruddy-tailed flycatcher · ruddily · ruddy diver · ruddyish · ruddy turnstone · ruddy Nora · ruddy shelduck · ruddiness

Synonyms

blimming · bloody · bally · rosy (reddish in color) · blooming · bleeding

Translations (64)

es rubicundo (reddish) · cs načervenalý (reddish) · nl rossig (reddish) · hu pirosas (reddish) · bg румен (reddish) · de rötlich (reddish) · sv rödblommig (reddish) · fi punakka (reddish) · mi kōpura (reddish) · hi रक्ताभ (reddish) · de rot (reddish) · la rubicundus (reddish) · sv rödaktig (reddish) · fr rougeâtre (reddish) · cs červený (reddish) · is skrambi (a mild intensifier) · he אֲדַמְדַּם (reddish) · pt avermelhado (reddish) · nrf rouogeaud (reddish) · ru чёртов (a mild intensifier) · nl verrekt (a mild intensifier) · cy coch (reddish) · mi rauwhero (reddish) · is rauðleitur (reddish) · el ρόδινος (reddish) · is roða- (reddish) · ru прокля́тый (a mild intensifier) · de verflixt (a mild intensifier) · sv attans (a mild intensifier) · cs narudlý (reddish) · is rjóður (reddish) · pdt rodlich (reddish) · fi hemmetin (a mild intensifier) · hi लोहित (reddish) · fi kirottu (a mild intensifier) · ru дура́цкий (a mild intensifier) · cy gwritgoch (reddish) · ca rubicund (reddish) · cs ruměný (reddish) · it rubicondo (reddish) · ru румя́ный (reddish) · sv rödlätt (reddish) · bg яркочервен (reddish) · cs zrudlý (reddish) · sv rackarns (a mild intensifier) · is skrambans (a mild intensifier) · sv jädra (a mild intensifier) · el κοκκινωπός (reddish) · is bölvaður (a mild intensifier) · ru краснова́тый (reddish) · fi punainen (reddish) · cs červeňoučký (reddish) · sv rödfärgad (reddish) · is fjárans (a mild intensifier) · is ansi (a mild intensifier) · cs rudý (reddish) · is fjári (a mild intensifier) · el ερυθρός (reddish) · is rauður (reddish) · ro roșcat (reddish) · hu vöröses (reddish) · da rødlig (reddish) · de verdammt (a mild intensifier) · cs brunátný (reddish)

ruddy en · ADV

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɹʌdi/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-der. Old English rudu Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Old English rudiġ Middle English rody English ruddy Inherited from Middle English rody, from Old English rudiġ (“reddish; ruddy”), from rudu + -iġ. By surface analysis, rud (“redness”) + -y. Compare Icelandic roði (“redness”). The British slang sense expressing irritation is presumably a euphemism for bloody.

Meanings

1. (UK, not-comparable, slang) A mild intensifier, expressing irritation.
   • “So, you made quite a splash on Question Time, my homeless pal,” he continued. “Ruddy hilarious. Ha ha ha!” 2009 October 29, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Mr Stink, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:
   • 'You're not ruddy going anywhere,' he said, slamming the door behind him. 2017, June Francis, When the Clouds Go Rolling By:

ruddy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɹʌdi/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-der. Old English rudu Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Old English rudiġ Middle English rody English ruddy Inherited from Middle English rody, from Old English rudiġ (“reddish; ruddy”), from rudu + -iġ. By surface analysis, rud (“redness”) + -y. Compare Icelandic roði (“redness”). The British slang sense expressing irritation is presumably a euphemism for bloody.

Meanings

1. (informal) A ruddy duck.
   • In winter, snow geese land at West Pond, a Robert Moses legacy that ought to be called Duck Soup: at this time of year look for ruddies, greater scaups, Northern pintails, American widgeons and gadwalls. 2007 November 4, Deborah Baldwin, “Close to Nature, and the Airport”, in New York Times:
2. (informal) A ruddy ground dove.
   • Ground doves — two ruddies are shown here — are so called because they feed on the ground. 1987, Jürgen Nicolai, A Complete Introduction to Finches, Tfh Publications Incorporated, →ISBN, page 89:
   • Common Ground-Dove — Fairly common permanent resident of better-watered valleys at lower elevations. Avoids town [...] Ironically, Ruddies often ignore the little flocks of closely related Commons, and choose to associate with Inca Doves. 2005, Richard Cachor Taylor, A Birder's Guide to Southeastern Arizona, page 237:
   • Out-of-state birders seeking Ruddy Ground Doves should be aware of two things. Ruddies associate much more frequently with Inca Doves than with Common Ground Doves. In fact, in eleven personal sightings of this species in Arizona, I have never seen a Ruddy with a Common nor has anyone else I know. [...] Perhaps this is a slow invasion, and forty years hence Ruddies will be so common ... 2008, Jim Burns, Jim Burns' Arizona Birds: From the Backyard to the Backwoods, University of Arizona Press, →ISBN, page 28:
   • Understandably, birders in the U.S. are advised to carefully distinguish Ruddies from the usually more-expected Common Ground-Doves [...]. (Brightly-colored, pinkish adult male Common Ground-Doves have been misidentified as male Ruddies on several occasions, however.) Unless the fortunate birder happens upon a Ruddy Ground-Dove amongst a flock of sparrows, it will often be necessary to sort through innumerable Inca Doves. 1994, Birding, page 298:

Forms

ruddy en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɹʌdi/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-der. Old English rudu Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Old English rudiġ Middle English rody English ruddy Inherited from Middle English rody, from Old English rudiġ (“reddish; ruddy”), from rudu + -iġ. By surface analysis, rud (“redness”) + -y. Compare Icelandic roði (“redness”). The British slang sense expressing irritation is presumably a euphemism for bloody.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make reddish in colour.
   • The sunset ruddied our faces.
   • It ruddied all the copse-wood glen 1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:

Forms