horned rattlesnake
- noun
- /hɔrnɪd ˈrætəlˌseɪk/
- US
:
serpiente de cascabel cornuda
- The horned rattlesnake is well-camouflaged against the pale sands of the desert.
Examples
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The distinctive horns above the eyes help the horned rattlesnake blend into its sandy environment.
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I saw a horned rattlesnake in the desert yesterday.
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While hiking in Arizona, I spotted a horned rattlesnake slithering between the rocks.
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The horned rattlesnake is known for its distinctive horns.
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In the desert, the horned rattlesnake can be seen slithering in an S-shaped curve, blending with the sandy landscape.
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When hiking in Arizona, I spotted a horned rattlesnake resting under a cactus, its distinctive scales shining in the sun.
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The horned rattlesnake is known for its unique appearance, featuring horn-like scales that help it camouflage in its desert habitat.
Synonyms
1
9.8
A small pale rattlesnake that moves sideways across desert sand
A small pale rattlesnake that lives in southwestern deserts and moves by sliding sideways
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound denotes a rattlesnake that has horn-like scales — this is directly and literally derived from combining 'horned' (having horns) with 'rattlesnake' (a snake with a rattle). There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift in meaning, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words would readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Horned rattlesnake gets its name from the small horns, hard scales above its eyes, and from being a rattlesnake with a noisy tail. Those horn-like scales help it blend into pale desert sand, so the name points to how it looks and where it lives.