beardy

beard +‎ -y

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪədi/

beardy (comparative beardier or more beardy, superlative beardiest or most beardy)

1. Bearded.
   • 1852, William Kidd, Kidd's Own Journal: For Inter-Communications on Natural History, Popular Science, and Things in General‎, volume 2, page 31:

     The plump John Bull, the sallow Frenchman, the beardy Italian, and still more-beardy Jew, the high-boned Scotchman the merry-faced Irishman, the turbaned Turk — a specimen of the human animal from almost every clime under heaven — are passing and repassing before you in the course of every ten minutes.

   • 1855, By John Ballou, The Lady of the West: Or, The Gold Seekers‎, page 391:

     His beard covered his face and rested upon his still more beardy bosom, but its darkness gave an excellent color to his deep-red face.

   • 1967 May, The Siege of Witch-Hobble Island, Boys' Life, page 44,

     But his left foot was caught in that blame noose in the end of the rope, so only his beardy head went underwater and he was dragged along like that for a few wet yards.

   • 1970, James Stephens, Deirdre‎, page 152:

     "Very hairy, beardy, toothy kinds of heads," said Ardan. "I remember them, and they used to get hairier and beardier and toothier every second day.

   • 2008, Howard Whitehouse, Bill Slavin, The Island of Mad Scientists: Being an Excursion to the Wilds of Scotland, page 42,

     The biggest, oldest, beardiest, reddest-faced of them addressed Professor Bellbuckle.

2. Manly, masculine.
   • 1851, The Musical World, Volume 29, page 228,

     The Doge is one of the popular barytone's most weighty performances, and we do not remember to have heard his voice more powerful, his acting more beardy and emphatic.

beardy (plural beardies)

1. (informal) A bearded person or animal:
   1. A bearded person; used to identify members of a group or class who can be identified by the wearing of beards.
      • 1900, Alexander Gordon, Wroe, John, article in Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Vol 63,

        His followers were known in Australia as ‘beardies.’

      • 2011, Chris Gibson, John Connell, Festival Places: Revitalising Rural Australia, page 255,

        Seven such social groups were present at the two festivals: Beardies; Jammers; Irish Fiddlers; Poets; Dancers; Campers an Vanners. […] The Beardies are men, mainly heavily bearded; described by David as ‘the traditionalists and fundamentalists of the folk scene’ who are often heads of folk club[s], the older generation and the highly respected (Figure 15.1).

   2. A bearded dragon.
      • 2005, Reptiles, Volume 13,

        But she always kept her distance whenever one of my beardies was out of its cage, as if Moose merely acted like a good-natured lap lizard to throw her off […] .

      • 2007, Steve Grenard, Bearded Dragon, page 52,

        It is impossible to determine the sex of beardies as babies or juveniles, so if you are thinking of breeding them, you may have to buy four or five and raise them in individual enclosures.

      • 2008, Suzanne Buckingham, Meet the Bearded Dragon, page 20,

        The bearded dragon will reach its adult length by one year. Baby beardies quickly grow into long, strong lizards!

   3. A bearded collie.
      • 1996, Andrew De Prisco, James Burris Johnson, Choosing a Dog for Life, page 73,

        Beardies grow fast. They grow like a weed and can be as unsightly as one.

      • 2005, Don Burke, The Complete Burke's Backyard: The Ultimate Book of Fact Sheets, page 754,

        Beardies take two to three years to mature, so be prepared for typical puppy activity during this time.

   4. Any of several kinds of fish; a loach.
      • 1864, John Younger, River Angling for Salmon and Trout : With a Memoir and List of the Tweed Salmon Casts, page 180,

        Loaches (or beardies) often also thinned our preserves, and in this they were occasionally helped by small eels. Whenever beardies got within an enclosure containing only creepers and caddis worms, in a very short space of time the beardies alone were left, so rapacious are these small fishes.

• brayed, bready, red bay, redbay