quaking grass

American  

noun

1. any of several grasses of the genus Briza, having spikelets with slender, drooping stalks.

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quaking grass British  

noun

1. any grass of the genus Briza, of N temperate regions and South America, having delicate flower branches that shake in the wind

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Etymology

Origin of quaking grass

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

But the moucher passes by and looks for quaking grass, bunches of which have a ready sale.

From The Amateur Poacher by Jefferies, Richard

Blue milkwort, buttercups and daisies adorned them, with eye-bright and the lesser, quaking grass that danced over the green.

From The Spinners by Phillpotts, Eden

Here is the common quaking grass, with its slender, smooth, spreading branches.

From Country Walks of a Naturalist with His Children by Houghton, W. (William)

A gentle breeze rustled the fern, and breathed upon the quaking grass, setting its beautiful spikelets in motion until they seemed like fairy bells rung by elfin fingers.

From In Doublet and Hose A Story for Girls by De Land, Clyde Osmer

Carey was trying to draw some flowers in a glass before her--a little purple, green-winged orchis, a cowslip, and a quivering dark-brown tuft of quaking grass.

From Magnum Bonum by Yonge, Charlotte Mary