whip snake
- noun
:
serpiente látigo
- The whip snake darted quickly through the dry grass, almost invisible except for its movement.
Examples
-
With its slender build and swift movements, the whip snake is well adapted to catching agile prey.
-
Several species of whip snake can be found in the rocky hills of southern Europe.
-
The whip snake darted across the path.
-
Look at that whip snake in the grass!
-
Several species of whip snake can be found in the rocky hills of southern Europe.
-
The whip snake darted quickly through the dry grass, almost invisible except for its movement.
-
With its slender build and swift movements, the whip snake is well adapted to catching agile prey.
Synonyms
A small fast snake with a long thin tail
A small fast snake with a long thin tail that moves like a whip
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'whip' + 'snake' describes a snake whose body or tail resembles a whip (long, slender, fast-moving). This descriptive noun–noun compound follows a common cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Whip snake gets its name because its long, thin body and tail look like a whip. It moves very quickly, so the name makes it easy to picture a 'fast' thin snake and that is why we use the name today.
