Dingleberry

Meaning

What does Dingleberry mean?

The term “dingleberry” might have the elusive appearance to confuse a naive person into thinking, that is refers to a delicious and appetizing forest fruit, while this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The word is the unofficial name for the tiny clot of excrement, clinging on desperately to the hair of someone.

Origin

What's the origin of Dingleberry?

The term is said to have originated from the late 19th century, the end days of the Wild West era.

It most probably comes from the combination of the words “dangle” and “berry” since you know… little nuggets are dangling on those unwashed hairs.

Time’s touch is probably shown by the modification of the word from dangle to dingle, which gives additional humor to the word, as it sounds sillier.

Spread & Usage

How did Dingleberry spread?

By the 1930’s the word appears in comic writings and screenplays, as a funny surname, given to characters.

In the era of the internet, people had started to joke around with the slight link between the saying “I’m Your Huckleberry” and the term “dingleberry” resulting in some memes, scattered across Google.

There are several definitions on the term on Urban Dictionary, appearing since 2003.

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External resources

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