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Glite Dictionary
mutton snapper

mutton snapper

7.3
A medium-sized red sea fish from the Atlantic that people sell for food
  • noun
  • /ˈmʌtən ˈsnæpər/
  • US
translation icon : pargo mutton
  • Many anglers consider mutton snapper one of the tastiest fish in the Atlantic Ocean.

Examples

  • While fishing on a charter boat, I caught a large mutton snapper that weighed over ten pounds.

  • Kelly from Fort Lauderdale caught this big mutton snapper on a wreck last week while fishing aboard the Best Bet.

    Blog text (10)

  • Three, you can spend time deep-dropping on the wrecks where the mutton snapper fishing has been off the hook the past couple of weeks.

    Blog text (10)

  • The restaurant's special tonight features grilled mutton snapper with lemon butter sauce.

Synonyms

red snapper
vsmutton snapper
  • US
5 3.3

A reddish sea fish often served as food in restaurants

is a particular Atlantic species often marketed under that general name
Lutjanus analis
vsmutton snapper
  • Specialized
9.9

A sea fish like a red snapper that lives near reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean

is the common market name used when selling the fish
muttonfish
vsmutton snapper
  • US
9.9

A fish like a red snapper often sold under that name

is the specific Atlantic species often singled out in scientific naming

Surface Forms

mutton snapper singular
mutton snappers plural

Morphology

mutton + snapper

This is a simple noun+noun compound where the first noun modifies the second to indicate a variety: a B1 learner who knows 'mutton' and 'snapper' would reasonably infer it names a kind of snapper fish. The specific species identity or why 'mutton' is used is not predictable, but the compositional naming pattern is standard and thus the basic meaning is transparent to learners.

Etymology

The noun mutton snapper may come from fishermen who thought the fish's meat tasted like mutton, meaning 'sheep meat', and snapper is the usual name for this kind of fish. So the name gives the picture of a snapper that tastes like 'mutton', which is why it refers to this species of snapper.