devil's weed
1
9.9
- noun
- Australian
:
hierba del diablo
- To prevent animals from eating it, he marked the areas where devil's weed was growing.
Examples
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The farmer was worried about the infestation of devil's weed in his pasture, as it was toxic to livestock.
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Another name for Jimson weed is the devil's weed or the devil's trumpet.
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After discovering devil's weed in the garden, she took immediate action to remove it and protect her plants.
Synonyms
A low plant with spreading stems and sharp spiky fruits that poison grazing animals
A low plant with hard spiny seeds that can hurt feet and animals
Surface Forms
Morphology
devil's + weed
A B1 learner who knows 'devil' (suggesting something harmful or dangerous) and 'weed' (an unwanted plant) will likely infer that 'devil's weed' denotes a harmful or nasty plant. However, the precise senses in the definition (tropical, spiny fruit, poisonous) are specific botanical details not directly predictable from the constituents, so the phrase is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Devil's weed gets its name from the plant's sharp spines and poisonous fruit. People used devil to show it is dangerous and weed because it spreads in pastures, so the name now means a harmful plant that can 'poison' livestock.