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Glite Dictionary
slippery dick

slippery dick

9.9
A small colorful fish that lives near coral reefs and moves quickly
  • noun
  • /ˈslɪpəri dɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pez resbaloso
  • The diver spotted a colorful slippery dick darting among the coral reefs.

Examples

  • Slippery dicks are often seen in aquariums due to their vibrant colors and active nature.

  • Children laughed as they watched the swift slippery dick evade their nets in the shallow waters.

  • I saw a slippery dick swimming in the coral reef.

  • The slippery dick is known for its quick movements.

  • The diver spotted a colorful slippery dick darting among the coral reefs.

  • Children laughed as they watched the swift slippery dick evade their nets in the shallow waters.

  • Slippery dicks are often seen in aquariums due to their vibrant colors and active nature.

Synonyms

Halichoeres bivittatus
vsslippery dick
  • Offensive
9.9

A small fish with two stripes that lives on coral reefs in the tropical Atlantic

is the common informal name used for the same fish

Surface Forms

slippery dick singular
slippery dicks plural

Morphology

slippery + dick

A learner who knows 'slippery' will infer a slippery quality, but the constituent 'dick' does not transparently indicate 'fish' (and may be unknown or interpreted as slang). Common names for animals are often lexicalized and partly arbitrary, so the full meaning 'a small wrasse' cannot be reliably derived from the parts.

Etymology

The name slippery dick may come from fishers who saw the small fish had a very smooth, slippery body and moved so quickly that it often slipped out of nets. They used slippery to describe how it felt and dick as a short name for the little fish, so the name now points to a fish that is 'hard to catch'.