snakehead

American  

[sneyk-hed] / ˈsneɪkˌhɛd /

noun

1. a turtlehead plant.

2. any elongate fish of the family Channidae (or Ophicephalidae), having a large head with a deeply cleft mouth and able to breathe atmospheric oxygen.

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snakehead British  

/ ˈsneɪkˌhed /

noun

1. a Chinese criminal involved in the illegal transport of Chinese citizens to other parts of the world

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Etymology

Origin of snakehead

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; snake + head

Example Sentences

In Maryland, transporting a snakehead while it is still alive is illegal.

From Washington Times • Jul. 7, 2023

When he first hooked the historic fish, he thought it was a normal snakehead.

From Washington Times • Jul. 7, 2023

The first northern snakehead found in Missouri was caught in 2019 out of a ditch within the St. Francois River levee system in the Missouri Bootheel region.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2023

On May 19, state workers using a net to catch bait for a youth jug-fishing clinic, pulled a 13-inch northern snakehead out of Duck Creek Conservation Area.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2023

The fishplate instead of the frog, and the steel rail in place of the good old snakehead!

From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 11 Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Businessmen by Hubbard, Elbert