dingleberry, n. orig. U.S.
(ˈdɪŋg(ə)lˌbɛrɪ, -ˌb(ə)rɪ)
[f. dingle, of uncertain origin (perh. dingle n. or as in dingbat n.), + berry n.1]
1. U.S. A cranberry, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, of the south-eastern U.S.
| 1952 B. C. Blackburn Trees & Shrubs Eastern N. Amer. 334 Dingleberry, Vaccinium erythrocarpum. 1974 G. Usher Dict. Plants used by Man 594/2 V. erythrocarpum Michx. (Bear Berry, Dingleberry, Mountain Cranberry). S.E. N. America. |
2. Transferred uses. a. pl. Dried faecal matter attached to the hair around the anus. Also transf. slang (orig. U.S.).
| 1953 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang (1954) §124/2 Dingbats, dingleberries, dried adherent dung. 1972 B. Rodgers Queens' Vernacular 19 Dingle-berries (late '50s–late '60s), dried globs of feces hanging to the anal hairs of an unfastidious person. Ibid. 25 Ass... Syn: dingle-berry pie (early '60s); salad bowl (late '50s). 1974 R. K. Mueller Buzzwords ii. 67 Taken from the trade colloquialism referring to the splattered molten particles around a metallic weld on a pipe or vessel. His presentation ‘left a lot of dingleberries’ means he splattered thoughts and inferences all around the main task. |
b. A fool, a stupid person. slang.
| 1969 L. Michaels Going Places 158, I..screeched, ‘What a dingleberry.’ 1990 Righting Words Spring 11/2 Dingleberry, a socially inept person. ‘Tell that dingleberry I'm not here.’ |
c. pl. The female breasts. slang.
| 1980 Brit. Jrnl. Photogr. 9 May 447/1 Daddy says tits. Daddy says knockers and jugs and bazooms and dingleberries and jujubes. And then he laughs and goes ‘wuff! wuff!’ |