DUMMY
What does "DUMMY" mean?
An imitation or model of a real object, or informally a foolish person.
Meanings
- A model or replica made to look like a real object or person. Crash tests rely on a dummy that mimics the human body.
- A foolish or stupid person. Don't be a dummy - read the instructions first. informal
- A placeholder used in place of real content or data. The layout was filled with dummy text before the real copy arrived. technical
- In card games like bridge, the exposed hand played by the declarer's partner. The declarer laid down the dummy for all to see. technical
- A baby's pacifier (chiefly British). The toddler dropped his dummy and started to wail. informal
Word origin
From 'dumb' (Old English 'dumb', meaning mute) plus the suffix '-y'; originally meaning a silent, speechless figure or a person who cannot speak.
Remember it
A DUMMY is named from 'dumb' (mute) - the double-M is its sealed, silent mouth.
A little poem
It wears my coat, it sits up straight,
it takes the crash so I don't break-
the stand-in body, made to take.
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Wordplay
- The crash-test dummy filed a complaint. It said it was tired of always taking the hit and never getting any credit for its sacrifice.
What it teaches
Stand-ins absorb the impacts meant for the real thing - useful work that is rarely thanked.
Quick facts
What does DUMMY mean?
An imitation or model of a real object, or informally a foolish person.
Is DUMMY a valid word?
Yes — DUMMY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is DUMMY?
DUMMY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does DUMMY come from?
From 'dumb' (Old English 'dumb', meaning mute) plus the suffix '-y'; originally meaning a silent, speechless figure or a person who cannot speak.
What can DUMMY teach us?
Stand-ins absorb the impacts meant for the real thing - useful work that is rarely thanked.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.