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long-legs

long-legs

1 9.5
A long-legged black and white bird that wades in shallow ponds and marshes
  • noun
translation icon : ave de patas largas
  • Often spotted near ponds, the long-legs of this bird help it navigate the wetland terrain.

Examples

  • A beautiful bird with long legs and luscious feathers.

  • And I never squish daddy-long-legs.

    Blog text (30)
  • ♪ How many legs has daddy long-legs got?

  • I'm good with daddy-long-legs.

    Blog text (30)
  • Bill watched her trot back into the building, all long legs and angry buttocks, and after a decent interval began to search the bushes.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • A speckled snake-eater bird darted across their path, its long legs running smoothly and a partially devoured lizard hanging from its beak.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The long-legs bird gracefully waded through the shallow waters of the marsh.

  • With its long-legs and striking black-and-white plumage, the bird stood out in the lagoon.

Synonyms

stilt
vslong-legs
1 6.9

A long-legged bird that wades in shallow water like marshes or lagoons

adds the black-and-white and three-toed detail not always present here
longlegs
vslong-legs
1 9.6

A long-legged black-and-white bird that stands in shallow water to find food

is the identical common form but differs only in word shape or spelling
Himantopus stilt
vslong-legs
  • Specialized
9.9

A long-legged black and white bird that wades in shallow ponds and marshes

is the general common name rather than the scientific label
stiltbird
vslong-legs
  • Specialized
9.9

A long-legged bird that wades in shallow water and has three toes

is the plain common term for the same group rather than a group label
stilt plover
vslong-legs
  • Australian
9.9

A long-legged black and white bird that walks in shallow water in ponds or marshes

focuses on the same bird type but uses the common name
Australian stilt
vslong-legs
  • Australian
8.9

A long-legged bird with long pink legs and black-and-white feathers that lives in Australian marshes

is the broader term used beyond that single regional population
black-winged stilt
vslong-legs
  • UK
8.9

A bird with long legs that wades in shallow water and has a white body with black wings

is the general black-and-white wader sense rather than that specific wing pattern
black-necked stilt
vslong-legs
  • US
8.8

A long-legged wading bird with black head and neck that lives in American marshes

is broader and does not stress that particular neck pattern
banded stilt
vslong-legs
  • Australian
8.2

A wading bird in Australia with webbed feet and a reddish chest band

denotes the black-and-white wader without the reddish chest or webbed emphasis

Surface Forms

long-legs singular
long-legs plural

Morphology

long-legs = long + leg (transparent) = long + legs

A straightforward hyphenated compound: the name literally describes a bird with long legs, so components directly indicate the referent.

Etymology

Long-legs is made from the words long and legs, literally meaning 'long legs'. That's why the name suits the black-and-white wading bird: its long legs help it walk and look for food in shallow ponds and marshes.