Rocky Mountain locust

noun

1. a migratory locust, Melanoplus spretus, that occurs in North America, especially the Great Plains, where swarms cause great damage to crops and other vegetation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Rocky Mountain locust¹

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

Example Sentences

What that was was swarms of the Rocky Mountain locust, riding the winds, which took them to the top of the glacier, where they got too chilled to fly anymore, so they were slowly incorporated into the glacier and eventually spit out the bottom.

From Slate

That was a real thing that happened, called the Rocky Mountain Locust Invasion.

From Salon

No. 2.—On the Natural History of the Rocky Mountain Locust and on the habits of the young or unfledged insects as they occur in the more fertile country in which they will hatch the present year.

From Project Gutenberg

Report for the years 1878 and 1879, relating to the Rocky Mountain Locust and the Western Cricket, and treating of the best Means of subduing the Locust in its permanent Breeding grounds, with a view of preventing its Migrations into the more fertile Portions of the trans-Mississippi country, in pursuance of Appropriations made by Congress for this purpose.

From Project Gutenberg

Annual Report for the year 1877, relating to the Rocky Mountain Locust and the best Methods of preventing its Injuries and of guarding against its Invasions, in pursuance of an Appropriation made by Congress for this purpose.

From Project Gutenberg