teddy
pronunciation
How to pronounce teddy in British English:
UK ['tedɪ]
How to pronounce teddy in American English:
US [ˈtɛdi]
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- Noun:
- plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
- a woman's sleeveless undergarment
Word Origin
- teddy
- teddy: English has two words teddy, both of them based on affectionate alterations of male first names. The teddy bear [20] was named after Theodore (‘Teddy’) Roosevelt, president of the USA from 1901 to 1909. One of his favourite leisure pursuits was hunting bears, and early in 1906 the New York Times published a humorous poem about the adventures of two bears, which were named Teddy B and Teddy G in his honour.The names were then appropriated to two bears that had just been presented to the Bronx Zoo; and before the year was out, toy manufacturers with an eye for profit had put toy bears called teddy bears on the market. The teddy of teddy boy [20] is short for Edward, an allusion to the teddy boys’ preference for clothes in a style reminiscent of the Edwardian period (1901–10).The first record of the word comes from 1954.
- Teddy
- pet form of masc. proper names Edward, Edmund, and Theodore, with -y (3). Meaning "women's undergarment" (with lower-case t-) is recorded from 1924, of unknown origin, perhaps from some fancied resemblance to a teddy bear (q.v.), a theory that dates to 1929. In British slang phrase teddy boy (1954) it is short for Edward, from the preference of such youths for Edwardian styles (1901-10). Teddies (probably from Teddy Roosevelt) was one of the names given to U.S. troops in France in 1917.
Example
- 1. Teddy roosevelt 's plan came to naught nearly a century ago .
- 2. Mrs. thompson paid particular attention to teddy .
- 3. But I also know that nearly a century after teddy roosevelt first called for reform , the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and the conscience of our nation long enough .
- 4. Now , just as there was in teddy roosevelt 's time , there is a certain crowd in washington who , for the last few decades , have said , let 's respond to this economic challenge with the same old tune .