coo-coo clock

English

Noun

coo-coo clock (plural coo-coo clocks)

1. Misspelling of cuckoo clock.
   • 1917, Edward Pitt, “The Hee-Haw Horse”, in The Woolerwee, and Other Hoosier Poems‎^[1], page 6:

     He has a pleasant open face,
     Like our old coo-coo clock

   • 1942 March 13, “War Conditions Make It Impossible To Repeat This Sensational Offer!”, in Movie and Radio Guide‎^[2] (advertisement), page 36:

     This fine Coo-Coo Clock, with its beautiful walnut finished case and its precision movement, its unusual and intricate design, will add charm and beauty to any room

   • 2018, Johnny Gruelle, Beloved Belindy, page 51:

     “But now the little bird is broken, Beloved Belindy!” Cleety said. “Marcella’s nice Daddy said so and I heard something inside the coo-coo clock snap as if something had broken!”

Usage notes

The common misspelling may constitute an eggcorn, a seemingly plausible reanalysis of the phrase; compare coo.