definitions

hoop snake

|

noun

any of several harmless snakes, as the mud snake and rainbow snake, fabled to take its tail in its mouth and roll along like a hoop.

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Nearby words

hoop, hoop back, hoop iron, hoop pine, hoop skirt, hoop snake, hoop-de-do, hoop-petticoat narcissus, hooper, hoopla, hoopman

Origin of hoop snake

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hoop snake

  • I confess I was deceived in—I won't say that man, but that hoop-snake.

    A Dream of Empire|William Henry Venable

  • Thought you might like to know the chu-wugg turned into a hoop-snake this morning!

    Once a Greech|Evelyn E. Smith

  • I heard an old hunter say he once stood by a lone tree on the prairie and saw a hoop-snake come rolling toward the tree.

    The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hoop snake

hoop snake

noun

any of various North American snakes, such as the mud snake (Farancia abacura), that were formerly thought to hold the tail in the mouth and roll along like a hoop
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012