Spanish dagger

American  

noun

1. a stemless or short-trunked plant, Yucca gloriosa, of the agave family, native to the southeastern United States, having leaves nearly 2½ feet (75 centimeters) long, with a stiff, sharp point, and greenish-white or reddish flowers nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide.

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Etymology

Origin of Spanish dagger

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Spanish dagger

But by week's end the divers had found a genuine Spanish dagger in a ten-inch sheath encrusted with rust, and two Spanish medallions.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Selah Ranch in Austin, Texas, is a 5,500-acre spread covered by Spanish dagger and prickly pear, often with no sign of the elusive animals that live there.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Spanish dagger plants at the gate pricked his calves painfully and he stumbled forward.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Helena's sudden flight left Magdaléna staring through the dark at the Spanish dagger in her hand.

From The Californians by Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn

“Not that little house with a Spanish dagger in the strip of ground before it?”

From All the Days of My Life: An Autobiography The Red Leaves of a Human Heart by Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston