Definition of Pigon
Pi"geon (?), n. [F., fr. L. pipio
a young pipping or chirping bird, fr. pipire to peep, chirp.
Cf. Peep to chirp.] 1. (Zoöl.)
Any bird of the order Columbæ, of which numerous species
occur in nearly all parts of the world.
&fist; The common domestic pigeon, or dove, was derived from the
Old World rock pigeon (Columba livia). It has given rise to
numerous very remarkable varieties, such as the carrier, fantail, nun,
pouter, tumbler, etc. The common wild pigeons of the Eastern United
States are the passenger pigeon, and the Carolina dove. See under
Passenger, and Dove. See, also, Fruit pigeon,
Ground pigeon, Queen pigeon, Stock pigeon, under
Fruit, Ground, etc.
2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a
gull. [Slang]
Blue pigeon (Zoöl.), an
Australian passerine bird (Graucalus melanops); -- called also
black-faced crow. -- Green pigeon
(Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of Old World
pigeons belonging to the family Treronidæ. --
Imperial pigeon (Zoöl.), any one of
the large Asiatic fruit pigeons of the genus Carpophada. -
- Pigeon berry (Bot.), the purplish black
fruit of the pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See
Pokeweed. -- Pigeon English [perhaps a
corruption of business English], an extraordinary and
grotesque dialect, employed in the commercial cities of China, as the
medium of communication between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its
base is English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindoostanee.
Johnson's Cyc. -- Pigeon grass (Bot.),
a kind of foxtail grass (Setaria glauca), of some value as
fodder. The seeds are eagerly eaten by pigeons and other birds. -
- Pigeon hawk. (Zoöl.)
(a) A small American falcon (Falco
columbarius). The adult male is dark slate-blue above, streaked
with black on the back; beneath, whitish or buff, streaked with brown.
The tail is banded. (b) The American sharp-
shinned hawk (Accipiter velox, or fuscus). --
Pigeon hole. (a) A hole for
pigeons to enter a pigeon house. (b) See
Pigeonhole. (c) pl. An old
English game, in which balls were rolled through little arches.
Halliwell. -- Pigeon house, a
dovecote. -- Pigeon pea (Bot.), the
seed of Cajanus Indicus; a kind of pulse used for food in the
East and West Indies; also, the plant itself. -- Pigeon
plum (Bot.), the edible drupes of two West
African species of Chrysobalanus (C. ellipticus and
C. luteus). -- Pigeon tremex.
(Zoöl.) See under Tremex. --
Pigeon wood (Bot.), a name in the West
Indies for the wood of several very different kinds of trees, species
of Dipholis, Diospyros, and Coccoloba. --
Pigeon woodpecker (Zoöl.), the
flicker. -- Prairie pigeon. (Zoöl.)
(a) The upland plover. (b)
The golden plover. [Local, U.S.]
Pi"geon (?), v. t. To pluck; to
fleece; to swindle by tricks in gambling. [Slang]
Smart.
He's pigeoned and undone.
Observer.
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
PIGEON. A weak silly fellow easily imposed on. To pigeon;
to cheat. To milk the pigeon; to attempt impossibilities,
to be put to shifts for want of money. To
fly a blue pigeon; to steal lead off a church.
- The Devil's Dictionary (Ambrose Bierce)
- one of several birds of the family Columbidae; a dove
- The Nuttall Encyclopedia
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