penguins

Noun

penguin (plural penguins)

1. Any of several flightless sea birds, of the family Spheniscidae within the order Sphenisciformes, found in the Southern Hemisphere, marked by their usual upright stance, walking on short legs, and (generally) their stark black and white plumage.
   • Here are also birds cal'd Pen-gwins (white-head in Welch) like Pigmies walking upright, their finns or wings hanging very orderly downe like sleeves […]1638, Thomas Herbert, Some Yeares Travels, section I
2. (historical, obsolete) An auk (sometimes especially a great auk), a bird of the Northern Hemisphere.
   • This last species of penguin, or auk, seems to be the same with the alca cirrhata of Dr. Pallis, Spicileg. Zool. Fasc. v. p. 7. tab. i. & v. fig. 1–3. F.1772 March, “Account of the Settlement of the Malouines”, in The Gentleman's and London Magazine, page 166
3. (slang) A nun.
   • Jake (John Belushi): What are we doing here?
     Elwood (Dan Aykroyd): You promised you'd visit the penguin the day you got out.
     Jake: Yeah. So, I lied to her.
     Elwood:You can't lie to a nun. We gotta go in and visit the penguin.1980, Dan Aykroyd, The Blues Brothers (motion picture)
4. A type of catch where the palm of the hand is facing towards the leg with the arm stretched downward, resembling the flipper of a penguin.
5. (UK, slang) A member of the air force who does not fly aircraft.
   • Although it is a permanent R.A.F. station (pre-war, that is), we meander about, even in the Mess, in battle dress and flying boots, sweaters, etc., much to the disgust of some of the more dignified 'penguins' […]1942, Hermann Hagedorn, Sunward I've Climbed, page 143

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