n. — Newfoundland, derogatory, Urban culture
an inhabitant of a coastal settlement.
Type: 1. Origin — In Newfoundland, noddy (OED-3, s.v. "noddy"(2b)) is an alternate name for a subspecies of the northern fulmar, a sea bird that inhabits the regions of the north Atlantic Ocean (DNE, s.v. "noddy"). When used pejoratively in reference to people from a Newfoundland outport, as opposed to St. John's, the prefix bay is added (see the 1966 quotation). It is unclear whether noddy is a reference to the fulmar, which is known to bob its head in flight (Templeman 1945: 138), or a preservation from British English, where noddy is defined as a fool or simpleton (EDD, s.v. "noddy"). See baywop for a parallel term.
See also COD-2, s.v. "baynoddy", which is marked "Cdn (Nfld)".