Jerusalem cricket
- noun
- /dʒəˈruːsələm ˈkrɪkɪt/
- US
:
grillo de Jerusalén
- The gardener found a Jerusalem cricket burrowing under the flower bed.
Examples
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Despite its name, the Jerusalem cricket does not chirp like true crickets.
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Many people mistake the Jerusalem cricket for a dangerous insect, but it is generally harmless.
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The Jerusalem cricket is often found in California.
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Have you ever seen a Jerusalem cricket?
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The Jerusalem cricket is known for its unique appearance and can often be found in loose soil.
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While digging in the garden, she uncovered a Jerusalem cricket that was burrowing underground.
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Many find the Jerusalem cricket unsettling due to its large size and nocturnal activity.
Synonyms
A large insect without wings that burrows in soil and comes out at night on the Pacific coast
A large wingless grasshopper that digs holes in loose sand at night
A large wingless cricket that lives under rocks in sandy places in the Americas
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner knowing 'Jerusalem' and 'cricket' would most likely infer 'a cricket from Jerusalem' or a typical small chirping insect, but the established referent is a specific large, wingless burrowing insect native to the US Pacific coast. The compound name is lexicalized and misleading (not literally from Jerusalem nor a true cricket), so the actual meaning cannot be reliably derived from the constituents.
Etymology
Jerusalem cricket may come from a mix of old names and a strong image: people saw its large, round head that looked a little like a small human skull and its habit of living in the soil, so Spanish speakers sometimes called it 'child of the earth'. One popular story says English speakers then gave it the odd name Jerusalem cricket, which is why the words Jerusalem and cricket are confusing, because the insect is not from Jerusalem and is not a true cricket.
