whirligig

• whirlygig

Middle English whirlegigge.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈwɜː.lɪ.ɡɪɡ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈwɝ.lɪ.ɡɪɡ/

• Audio (US)

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whirligig (plural whirligigs)

1. Anything that whirls or spins around, such as a toy top or a merry-go-round.
2. A device incorporating spinning, wind-driven propellers or pinwheels, used as whimsical outdoor decoration in a garden or on a porch.
3. A whirligig beetle.
4. A device for punishing prisoners, comprising a wooden cage that rapidly spins around.

• 1600–1, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

  And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.

• whirligig beetle
• yo-yo