grasshopper

[ gras-hop-er ]

noun

1. any of numerous herbivorous, orthopterous insects, especially of the families Acrididae and Tettigoniidae, having the hind legs adapted for leaping and having chewing mouth parts, some species being highly destructive to vegetation. Compare locust ( def 1 ), long-horned grasshopper.
2. a small, light airplane used on low-flying missions, as for reconnaissance.
3. Grass·hop·per, Military. a U.S. antipersonnel mine that jumps off the ground when activated by proximate body heat and sprays shrapnel over a lethal radius of 350 feet (107 meters).
4. a cocktail of light cream, green crème de menthe, and white crème de menthe or crème de cacao.

grasshopper

/ ˈɡrɑːsˌhɒpə /

noun

1. any orthopterous insect of the families Acrididae ( short-horned grasshoppers ) and Tettigoniidae ( long-horned grasshoppers ), typically terrestrial, feeding on plants, and producing a ticking sound by rubbing the hind legs against the leathery forewings See also locust katydid
2. knee-high to a grasshopper informal.
   very young or very small
3. an iced cocktail of equal parts of crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and cream
4. modifier unable to concentrate on any one subject for long

   a grasshopper mind

Word History and Origins

Origin of grasshopper¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; grass ( def ), hopper ( def )

Idioms and Phrases

see knee-high to a grasshopper .

Example Sentences

Singapore recently approved 16 types of bugs, including crickets, silkworms, grasshoppers and honey bees, as food.

From BBC

This summer, thousands of grasshoppers will take flight in northeast California, eating everything in their path and likely destroying crops along the way.

From Los Angeles Times

“It wasn’t like we saw him pulling the wings of grasshoppers just to watch them suffer. He wasn’t one of those people,” Prof Webb says.

From BBC

To date, scientists have found at least six orders of insects -- including moths, beetles, crickets and grasshoppers -- that have evolved ears capable of detecting ultrasound.

From Science Daily

Andrew Jack, a private chef in Chicago, cooks with grasshoppers, ants and their larvae, and other insects, but said he finds the quality of these ingredients in the United States to be extremely unpredictable.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• ant
• aphid
• bee
• beetle
• butterfly
• cockroach
• dragonfly
• flea
• fruit fly
• gnat
• ladybug
• mite
• mosquito
• moth
• pest
• spider
• termite
• tick