thunder snake
- noun
- /ˈθʌndər sneɪk/
- US
:
serpiente de trueno
- A thunder snake is often found under logs and rocks in moist woodlands.
Examples
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Many children mistake a thunder snake for an earthworm because of its size and color.
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I saw a thunder snake in my backyard.
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The thunder snake plays an important role in controlling insect populations.
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The thunder snake is often mistaken for a worm.
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A thunder snake is often found under logs and rocks in moist woodlands.
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Many children mistake a thunder snake for an earthworm because of its size and color.
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The thunder snake plays an important role in controlling insect populations.
Synonyms
A small reddish-brown snake found in moist woods of the eastern United States
A small thin snake that looks like a worm and lives under stones or logs
A small burrowing snake in eastern North America that eats earthworms
Surface Forms
Morphology
thunder + snake
Although 'snake' is transparent, the element 'thunder' (a weather sound) gives no clear indication of the creature's size, colour or wormlike habit; this is a regional species name rather than a compositional description. Therefore a B1 learner who knows the words 'thunder' and 'snake' would not be able to infer the specific meaning 'small reddish, wormlike eastern worm snake', making the expression opaque.
Etymology
Thunder snake may come from an old folk idea that these small, reddish, wormlike snakes often come out 'after storms', like earthworms do. So people linked the word thunder to this tiny snake, and today the name means that small, wormlike snake.
