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Piebald vs Spotty - What's the difference?

piebald | spotty |

As adjectives the difference between piebald and spotty

is that piebald is spotted or blotched, especially in black and white while spotty is having spots; spotted.

As nouns the difference between piebald and spotty

is that piebald is an animal with piebald coloration while spotty is a common new zealand fish,.

piebald

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Spotted or blotched, especially in black and white.
  • * 1965 , , Over Sea, Under Stone , page 20:
    • "Well, isn't that just like a girl. All this round you, and you only see a bit of dust. It'll brush off." He patted ineffectually at his piebald shirt.
  • * 2001 , Michel Faber, Under the Skin , page 4:
    • Usually, however, the hitcher was standing exactly where she'd first passed him, his arm perhaps just marginally less erect, his clothing (if rain was setting in) just that little bit more piebald .
  • * 2011 , Stanley Coren & Sarah Hodgson, Understanding Your Dog For Dummies :
    • The classic example of a piebald dog is the Dalmatian.
  • (figuratively) Of mixed character, heterogeneous.
  • * 1839 , Charles Hodge, Henry Boynton Smith, The Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review , Volume XI, page 544:
    • And at the present day, the wanton introduction of scientific terms from the Greek and Latin, and of phrases from the French, threatens to render our tongue still more piebald , heterogeneous and unwieldy.
  • * 1864 , T. E. Espin, Supply and Training of Ministers'', in , ''Report of the Proceedings of the Church Congress [1863] , page 67:
    • Hence you will make the piebald' Church more ' piebald than ever.
  • * 1970 , , Volume 95, page 67:
    • Out there on the stage is the largest — and most piebald — rock band in captivity.

    Coordinate terms

    * variegated

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An animal with piebald coloration.

    • Anagrams

    *

    spotty

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Having spots; spotted.
  • Of inconsistent quality
    • Many of the buyers had a spotty credit history.

    Noun

    (spotties)
  • A common New Zealand fish,
    • I went fishing today and all I caught were spotties .

    Derived terms

    * spottiness English slang