old witch grass
- noun
- US
:
hierba bruja
- The slender panicles of old witch grass wave gently in the summer breeze.
Examples
-
The farmer spent hours pulling old witch grass from the edges of his cornfield.
-
The old witch grass spread quickly in the garden.
-
In some regions, old witch grass is notorious for spreading quickly among crops.
-
Farmers often struggle with old witch grasses in their fields.
-
In some regions, old witch grass is notorious for spreading quickly among crops.
-
The farmer spent hours pulling old witch grass from the edges of his cornfield.
-
Farmers often struggle with old witch grass in their fields.
Synonyms
A common North American grass with thin, brush-like groups of flowers that grows as a weed in fields
A North American grass with thin, brushy flower clusters that often grows as a weed in fields
A wild grass with thin brush-like seed heads that grows in fields
A grass that spreads quickly and grows where it is not wanted
A wild grass that grows in fields and along roads and spreads quickly
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'old', 'witch' and 'grass' will readily infer this refers to a kind of grass (grass) described as 'old' or bearing the name 'witch', so the broad category is compositional. However, the specific botanical sense (a particular North American species with slender brush-like panicles and its status as a weed) and the reason for the element 'witch' are lexicalized and not predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Old witch grass probably gets its name from the plant's thin, brush-like seed heads that reminded people of a witch's broom. Because it spreads fast among crops, farmers called it a 'weed', so the name came to mean a troublesome grass.
