Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A nut with winglike projections for thumb and forefinger leverage in turning.
- noun A person with extreme or fanatical political views.
- noun A crazy or eccentric person.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
nut having wing-like projections so that it can be turned easily by hand - noun A
deciduous tree of thegenus Pterocaryanative toAsia - noun slang a derogatory term for anyone perceived as odd, eccentric, and/or extreme
- noun slang, rural US Air Force personnel in towns that host a USAF installation
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Evidently, the term wingnut is so familiar as to be unobjectionable, and, perhaps in this context attacks exaggerated out of all credibility, at least by non-Bork standards it is, but the generally overbroad application of that term makes it problematic.
The Volokh Conspiracy » WaPo on Tom Goldstein and ScotusBlog: 2009
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Only the spineless Liberal Left uses the term wingnut to describe the Right.
Telegraph.co.uk: news, business, sport, the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Sunday Telegraph 2009
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It turns out that at least one of the reasons might be the Safirishly suggested connection between the term wingnut and the extreme right wing side of politics. wingnut is clearly used in this way, my mind was on something else entirely when I started using with the term. back, though all of the old content is gone.
MSDN Blogs 2008
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It turns out that at least one of the reasons might be the Safirishly suggested connection between the term wingnut and the extreme right wing side of politics. wingnut is clearly used in this way, my mind was on something else entirely when I started using with the term. back, though all of the old content is gone.
MSDN Blogs 2008
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Anyway, the other day someone suggested to me that this kind of a read of the term wingnut might be why someone took the term moronic wingnut as being so offensive.
MSDN Blogs 2008
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Anyway, the other day someone suggested to me that this kind of a read of the term wingnut might be why someone took the term moronic wingnut as being so offensive.
MSDN Blogs 2008
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Ben, guys like you are in what we call the wingnut community, which I define as people who believe that solutions emerge from your pathetic whining about liberals.
Sadly, No! 2008
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I was born and raised NY, and seeing NY in relation to a wingnut is embarrissing for all New Yorkers.
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This type of wingnut is incapable of being diverted by the facts, but can only change course when distracted by a newer, shinier talking point …
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You see, being a wingnut is ultimately a neurological syndrome.
Think Progress » Mullen finds ‘little resistance’ among troops to repealing DADT. 2010
planspark commented on the word wingnut
On Urban Dictionary: wingnut
February 11, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word wingnut
Tree in the walnut family with small fruits that look like, well, wingnuts. Next time you're at the Eiffel Tower, examine the compound-leaved trees near the tower's legs. They're a species of wingnut genus, Pterocarya. The species is probably P. macroptera.
January 28, 2010