Tarpon
1
8.3
- noun
- /ˈtɑr.pən/
- It looked like if you took a Tarpon and just scaled it, shelled the shell off, it would just, like, sparkle and just like Johnny Boy's sweating.
- tarpon fishing
- catch a tarpon
- big tarpon
Examples
-
"Its denizens include attention-getting manatees, bald eagles, and sea turtles, but also tarpon, grouper, pink shrimp, and all the thousands of smaller marine species that support the larger headliners."
Academic text (2008) -
While fishing off the coast, we spotted a massive tarpon leaping out of the water.
-
Maybe she'll stay down there forever eating tarpons.
Fiction book (1995) -
Captain Bill Collier showed this stuff to some tarpon-fishing Yankee, and this one told another, and next thing you know, those sports were in there shoveling for fun.
Fiction book (1990) -
The tarpon leaps shimmering into the late cross light of the keys, a primeval moment frozen in... (hesitates)... frozen in...
Fiction book (1994) -
Miss Jane watched the mullet jump and the tarpon roll, and the silent herons flying up and down the river, p78, and the huge old Bator like a cypress log on the tar hank.
Fiction book (1990) -
Ever since, rich Yankees had flocked here in winter migration, pursuing the tarpon, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, snook, and redfish that flashed through the emerald passes of the barrier islands.
Fiction book (1990) -
Many fishermen travel to Florida to catch tarpon during the summer months.
-
The guide showed us how to prepare for a fight with a large tarpon on the line.
Compounds
- Specialized
1
9.8
A large silvery fish that lives in warm Atlantic waters near the coast and fights hard when caught
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tarpon comes from the name used by people in the Caribbean and Spanish-speaking sailors for a 'large, silver fish'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of the local name for a strong fish that often jumps out of the water, which is why Tarpon now means this big, powerful fish prized by sport fishers.