moony, noun

/ˈmuːni/
Forms:
Also moonie.
Plurals:
moonies, or unchanged.
Origin:
EnglishShow more Formed on moonfish + English (informal) noun-forming suffix -y (or -ie).
colloquial
moonfish.
Note:
In Smith and Heemstra’s Smiths’ Sea Fishes (1986), the name ‘Natal moony’ is used for Monodactylus argenteus, ‘Cape moony’ for M. falciformis, and ‘largespotted pompano’ for Trachinotus botla.
1949 [see moonfish].
1967 R.A. Jubb Freshwater Fishes of Sn Afr. 192Monodactylus falciformis,..Cape lady or Moony.
1970 Albany Mercury 29 Jan. 15Brenda..landed three moonie weighing 7 lb 3 oz. The lucky fish which took the sealed award was a moonie of the exact weight of 2lb 7 oz.
1971 Daily Dispatch 30 July 8An ugly, unimpressive round fish that I would call a ‘moony’.
1986 Smith & Heemstra Smiths’ Sea Fishes 607Family No. 193: Monodactylidae...Moonies...Natal moony...Cape moony.
1993 P.H. Skelton Complete Guide to Freshwater Fishes 358Family Monodactylidae. Moonies...A small family of distinctive deep-bodied fishes common in estuaries, with juveniles frequently entering freshwater reaches or rivers. One genus and two species in southern Africa.
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colloquial
moonfish, nounn.mootjie, nounn.
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