Definition of Whirligig
Whirligig can be used as a noun or a verb. In both modes, whirligig refers to a spinning motion, or similarly, something or someone flighty, erratic or constantly on the move.
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Toy
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Dreidels are a form of whirligigs, or spinning tops. A whirligig is another name for a spinning top child's toy. Made of metal, wood or plastic, whirligigs are conical toys that taper to a point on which the toy can spin when whirled.
Ride
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A ferris wheel is a type of whirligig. The whirligig ride typically refers to either a merry-go-round or a carousel. Informally, whirligig can refer to any ride that spins around.
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Beetle
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Whirligig beetles live in ponds and streams, where they scurry about the water in random paths and patterns. Their two eyes are divided into four eye-like spots, so that they can simultaneously see above and below the water surface.
State
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A whirligig is a state of whirling or spinning, such as the whirligig world of figure skating, or less literally, of fashion. A person can be a whirligig if he is giddy and flighty, seemingly in a spinning or distracted state.
Verb
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The verb form of whirligig means to spin or whirl like a toy or ride. A little girl pirouetting nonstop might hear her parents say that she "whirligigs like a spinning top."
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Mikul Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of woodley wonderworks Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic
