dingleberry
noun/ˈdɪŋɡəɫbɛɹi/
Etymology A (possibly dialectal) alteration of dangleberry.
1
Vaccinium erythrocarpum, the southern mountain cranberry.
- dingleberries, or mountain-cranberries (Huge'ria, syn. Oxycoccoi'des), cranberries (Oxycoc'cus)1937, US Government Printing Office, Range Plant Handbook:
- Helen sat on the ground crumbling hard lumps of clay between her fingers, and tried to imagine the green place in the swamp where the dingleberries grew.1959, Gordon Webber, What end but love:
1 more example
- Vaccinium erythrocarpum, the dingleberry, sometimes produces berries of excellent flavor, which are used locally for jellies; Uphof (1968) reports that this species has been recommended for cultivation.1988, S.P. Vander Kloet, The Genus Vaccinium in North America, →ISBN, page 6:
2
Derogatory, Slang A stupid or foolish person.
3
Derogatory, Slang Dried fecal matter adhering to anal hair.
4
Business, Manufacturing Dated Any residual irregularity following processing.
- The contour of the root bead is very irregular and solidified drops of metal, "cherries" or "dingleberries," extend therefrom evidencing burn-throughs.1951, Charles Diehl, Method for Welding a Joint, US Patent 2747065, page 3:
- That still left the problem of deciding on the "dingleberries"—the employees who would be exempt from seniority restrictions because of "special skills and outstanding abilities."1966 May 20, “Stymied by Seniority”, in Time, archived from the original on 03 Feb 2009:
1 more example
- It is theorized that when the surface velocity is below certain minimum values the material at the interface between workpieces WP-1 and WP-2 rolls up and extrudes from the interface in the form of long twisted cylindrical projections which are sometimes referred to as "dingle-berries."1967, M.R. Calton, Welding of Dispersion-Strengthened Alloys, US Patent 3477117, page 6: