butterball

English

Etymology

From butter +‎ ball.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

butterball (plural butterballs)

1. A round lump of a coagulated fat used in cooking such as butter or margarine.
2. (derogatory, slang) An overweight person.
   • 1988, Vicki Lansky, Fat-Proofing your Children – so that they Never Become Diet-Addicted Adults, page 62

     "What if your baby is a butterball? Does Fat-Proofing mean you should put your infant on diet?."

3. A small North American duck, the bufflehead, Bucephala albeola.
   • 1917, Hunter-Trader-Trapper, volume 34, page 37:

     The skipper had his eye on a bunch of butterballs feeding not far from the boat. In fact there were ducks all around — though he did not tell me so.

4. (Canada, US) A turkey.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fat person