spitting cobra
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6.4
- noun
- /ˈspɪtɪŋ ˈkoʊbrə/
- South African
:
cobra escupidora
- 'Poisonous, sir, like a green mamba or a spitting cobra.'
Examples
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A spitting cobra can accurately spit venom up to several feet, a fascinating defense mechanism.
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We only did the outskirts of camp and did a few tracks and bits and pieces. Halfway round, we saw a baby Mozambique spitting cobra, which was cool, even hooded for us.
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The spitting cobra protects itself by aiming its venom at the eyes of potential threats.
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During our safari, we observed a spitting cobra skillfully defending itself by spitting venom at a nearby animal.
Synonyms
A dangerous African cobra that spits venom into eyes and can cause blindness
A large African snake with a black neck that can spit venom into eyes and cause blindness
A highly venomous snake from southern Africa that can spit venom to protect itself
A venomous snake from southern Africa that can spit venom several feet
A venomous snake that lives in southern Africa and can spit venom
A venomous southern African snake that sprays venom at a threat, often to hit the eyes
How Dangerous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'spitting' (present participle of 'spit') modifying 'cobra', so an informed learner will infer it denotes a cobra that spits. This is a straightforward noun phrase pattern found across languages and although the specific detail that the venom can cause blindness may be new, the core meaning is transparently derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Spitting cobra comes from the snake's real habit of spitting venom at a person's eyes, which can make them 'blind'. So the name means a cobra that defends itself by spitting venom instead of biting.