alligator snapping turtle

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noun

a large American snapping turtle, Macroclemys temmincki, having three prominent ridges on its shell and a wormlike process on the floor of the mouth used to attract prey.

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Also called alligator snapper.

Origin of alligator snapping turtle

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

Words nearby alligator snapping turtle

alligator lizard, alligator pear, alligator pepper, alligator shear, alligator skin, alligator snapping turtle, alligator wrench, all-important, all-in, all in a day's work, all in all

How to use alligator snapping turtle in a sentence

They are always suspended over a precipice, dangling by a slender thread that shows every sign of snapping.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In another study, children saw a puppet show where a mouse was eaten by an alligator.
Why Are Millennials Unfriending Organized Religion?|Vlad Chituc|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No matter what was on that flag—a white buttercup, a corn muffin, the skeleton of an alligator, who knows?
We've Got Bigger Problems Than a Confederate Flag|John McWhorter|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This Israel-Hamas war feels different, neither turtle nor scorpion even pretending anymore about seeking peace.
Is It Just Me or Is the World Exploding? So Why Isn’t Obama Doing More?|Michael Tomasky|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A non-Sioux nation in the state, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, also said no.
The Native Americans Who Voted for ‘The Fighting Sioux’|Evan Weiner|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To these we gave boiled rice, and with it turtle and manatee boiled.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
She careened so badly that the girls shrieked and Malcolm himself thought she would turn turtle.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
For our use, besides bread-fruit and fish, there was a turtle weighing perhaps more than twenty pounds.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
An alligator was observed swimming about, but very few fish were noticed.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
I shall give 'em real turtle from Birch's, and as for fizz, they shall swim in it if they like.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills