Word of the Day -- Popinjay

 We TLG folks are quiet unassuming types for the most part.  You could never confuse us for 

Popinjay -- a strutting supercilious person

First known use was in the early 16th century.  Popinjays and parrots are birds of a feather. "Popinjay," from the Middle French word papegai, is the original name for a parrot in English. (The French word in turn came from the Arabic word for the bird, "babghā." "Parrot," which English speakers adopted later, probably comes from Middle French perroquet.) In the days of Middle English, parrots were rare and exotic, and it was quite a compliment to be called a "popinjay" after such a beautiful bird. But by the 1500s, parrots had become more commonplace, and their gaudy plumage and vulgar mimicry helped "popinjay" develop the pejorative sense we use today.