E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Cuckoo.
A cuckold. The cuckoo occupies the nest and eats the eggs of other birds; and Dr. Johnson says “it was usual to alarm a husband at the approach of an adulterer by calling out ‘Cuckoo,’ which by mistake was applied in time to the person warned.” Green calls the cuckoo “the cuckold’s quirister” (Quip for an Upstart Courtier, 1620). This is an instance of how words get in time perverted from their original meaning. The Romans used to call an adulterer a “cuckoo,” as “Te cu ulum uxor ex lustris rapit” (Plautus: Asinaria, v. 3), and the allusion was simple and correct; but Dr. Johnson’s explanation will hardly satisfy anyone for the modern perversion of the word.
ulum uxor ex lustris rapit” (Plautus: Asinaria, v. 3), and the allusion was simple and correct; but Dr. Johnson’s explanation will hardly satisfy anyone for the modern perversion of the word.
