APAD: As bald as a coot

Meaning:

   Completely bald.

 

Background:

   Coots are water birds whose heads have the appearance of baldness. This

   doesn't refer to the lack of feathers on the bird's head, but to their white

   markings. `Bald' has several meanings, one of which is `streaked or marked

   with white'. That's the meaning here, as in `piebald', used to describe the

   black and white markings of a horse or other animal.

 

- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]

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The background story confuses me: so does a guy keep some hair or not once he's

gone as bald as a coot? It's good to know piebald but at the end of the day, I

believe that dude's head is hairless and not completely striped with white

markings.

 

With that puzzle not entirely settled, let me tell you something about the bird.

 

Coots live in flocks at the edge of the Bay. Going down any trail on a levee,

especially one through the marshy south bay, you are likely to see coverts of

them. Often, these scary-faced dull-black aquatic birds quietly float in the

ponds, feeding on plants, diving for fish, and minding their own business.

Sometimes, you run into a clan crossing the road in a file. Their lobed feet

carry them, always in a hurry, to the other side and leave dirty footprints

marking visible paths. In short, they seem to be a bunch of self-admiring

madcaps who care zilch about the environment or evolution. God bless!