sheepshead

[ sheeps-hed ]

/ ˈʃipsˌhɛd /

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noun, plural (especially collectively) sheeps·head, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) sheeps·heads for 1-3.

a deep-bodied, black-banded food fish, Archosargus probatocephalus, living along the Atlantic coast of the United States, chiefly around southwest Florida, and southward to Brazil.

a freshwater fish, the drum Aplodinotus grunniens, found throughout the eastern half of the United States and southward to Guatemala.

sheephead.

Also called schafskopf. Cards. an earlier and simpler form of skat.

Obsolete. a foolish or stupid person.

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Origin of sheepshead

First recorded in 1535–45; sheep + 's¹ + head

Words nearby sheepshead

sheepo, sheep race, sheep's eyes, sheep's fescue, sheepshank, sheepshead, sheepshearing, sheepskin, sheep sorrel, sheep station, sheepswool sponge

How to use sheepshead in a sentence

Born and raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, he grew up in a blue-collar family.
Andrew Dice Clay on ‘Blue Jasmine,’ His Alleged Misogyny, and More|Marlow Stern|July 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Fox switched to a WNYW-TV report on rising water near a group of homes in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
A Hurricane of Hype|Howard Kurtz|August 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It's about as mild here as with you in October and as damp as Sheepshead's Bay in an autumn storm.
The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, Volume I|Burton J. Hendrick
In addition, hand line or bass rod fishing can be enjoyed for sheepshead and channel bass.
Fishing With The Fly|Charles F. Orvis and Others

The difference in flavor between the sheepshead of the North and South may perhaps be due to the character of their food.
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others|James Alexander Henshall
A good rod for sheepshead fishing is the natural bamboo rod, known as the striped-bass chum rod.
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others|James Alexander Henshall
Chestertown, or blackfish hooks formerly so much in vogue for the sheepshead.
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others|James Alexander Henshall

British Dictionary definitions for sheepshead

sheepshead

/ (ˈʃiːpsˌhɛd) /

noun plural -head or -heads

any of several sparid fishes with strong crushing teeth, esp Archosargus rhomboidalis, of the American Atlantic, which is marked with dark bands

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