spear grass

American  

noun

1. any of various grasses, as a meadow grass or a bent grass, having lance-shaped leaves or floral spikes.

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spear grass British  

noun

1. another name for wild Spaniard

2. any of various native Australian grasses, esp of the genera Stipa or Heteropogon , with sharp-pointed seeds

3. any of various grasses with sharp stiff blades or seeds

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Etymology

Origin of spear grass

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spear grass

I was riding hard to intercept them when I was suddenly sent flying on to my head, turning a somersault on to a rough bank of spear grass.

From Five Years in New Zealand 1859 to 1864 by Booth, Robert B.

Native grasses are the white clover, spear grass, blue grass, fox-tail and crab grass, the two last-named being summer or annual grasses.

From History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia by Head, James William

And away we galloped again, until I had scarcely a rag an inch square on my back, or anywhere else, and my skin was tom in pieces by the prickly bushes and spear grass.

From Tom Cringle's Log by Scott, Michael

This is the spear grass of the Anglo-Indians.

From A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses by Rangachari, K.

The same strip of soft sandy flat about half-a-mile wide continued, but better grassed, although the spear grass was far too common.

From Narrative of the Overland Expedition of the Messrs. Jardine from Rockhampton to Cape York, Northern Queensland by Byerley, Frederick, J.