sand hopper
- noun
:
salta arena
- Children were fascinated by the way the sand hopper leaped away when touched.
Examples
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Look at that sand hopper hopping around!
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Birds often feed on sand hoppers along the shore.
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We found several sand hoppers scurrying across the wet sand at low tide.
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I saw a sand hopper on the beach.
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The sand hopper quickly jumped across the warm sand, trying to escape the sunlight.
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At the beach, we noticed a small sand hopper making quick hopping movements near the tide line.
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While exploring the shore, we saw a sand hopper leaping energetically from one grain of sand to another.
Synonyms
1
5.4
A small jumping animal like a tiny flea that lives on sandy beaches
A small animal like a tiny shrimp that hops on beaches
A small animal that jumps like a flea and lives on sandy beaches
How Small
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'sand hopper' is directly interpretable as something that hops on sand by combining 'sand' (the substrate) with 'hopper' (a creature that hops). While precise biological details (an amphipod crustacean rather than an insect) are not predictable, a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer a small hopping animal found on the beach.
Etymology
Sand hopper is a name that paints a simple picture: a tiny beach animal that hops across the sand like a little flea. So sand + hopper tells you it is 'a small jumping creature found on the shore'.