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shellcracker

shellcracker

9.3
A freshwater fish from the southern United States that eats snails
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɛlˌkrækər/
  • US
translation icon : pez cebra
  • A shellcracker can be recognized by the red edge on its gill cover.

Examples

  • Many anglers visit southern lakes hoping to catch a trophy-sized shellcracker during the spring.

  • The fisherman proudly displayed the large shellcracker he caught in the river.

  • The shellcracker is popular among anglers in Florida.

  • Have you ever caught a shellcracker before?

  • The shellcracker is known for its ability to eat snails in freshwater lakes.

  • You can find a shellcracker swimming near the bottom of rivers looking for mollusks.

  • Anglers often target the shellcracker because of its unique feeding habits and colorful appearance.

Surface Forms

shellcracker singular
shellcrackers plural

Morphology

shellcracker = shell + cracker (semi-transparent) = shell + cracker

The compound 'shell' + 'cracker' transparently suggests something that cracks shells, but as a species name the exact referent (a freshwater fish) is a specialized lexical label.

Etymology

Shellcracker is made from the simple parts shell and cracker; this fish earned the name because it breaks open snails' and other small animals' shells to eat them, so the name describes what the fish does.