grass snake
- noun
- UK
:
culebra de hierba
- But Dad," insisted Amanda, "it'll only be a harmless grass snake because there aren't any cobras here!
Examples
-
A lot of grass snakes live in the shed and in the pile of planks by the barn.
Fiction book (1998) -
As fall approaches, grass snakes grow scarce.
Fiction book (1998) -
A grass snake would even fit into your box.
Fiction book (1997) -
It would have to be a grass snake.
Fiction book (1997) -
It gave Lilija a terrible fright, and since then she can't stand grass snakes.
Fiction book (1998) -
"It’ll only be a grass snake next," Amanda persisted.
Fiction book (1997) -
Kneeling, Amanda gathered up the grass snake and folded it into the box where the little pots of paint lay higgledy-piggledy.
Fiction book (1997) -
While walking through the meadow, we spotted a beautiful grass snake basking in the sun.
-
The grass snake slithered quietly through the tall grass, looking for prey.
-
We often find grass snakes near the pond, as they prefer habitats with plenty of vegetation.
Synonyms
A common harmless European snake with a bright yellow collar often seen near water
A harmless snake found in England with a bright yellow or white collar
A harmless snake with a bright ring around its neck found in North America or Europe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'grass snake' denotes a snake associated with grass (i.e., a snake that is green/striped or found in grassy areas), a meaning directly derivable from combining 'grass' + 'snake'. This noun–noun composition is a transparent and cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Grass snake is named for the simple picture of a snake living in long grass. In Europe this small snake often has a yellow ring at its neck, so the name now means a small, 'harmless' snake found in grassy places.
