English

A grasshopper.

Noun

grasshopper ‎(plural grasshoppers)

1. A herbivorous insect of the order Orthoptera noted for its ability to jump long distances and for its habit of communicating by stridulation.
2. A cocktail made with crème de menthe and optionally with crème de cacao.
3. (figuratively) a young student in initial stages of training who has been chosen on account of their obvious talent
   • 2009, B.P. Terpstra, Quadrant, November 2009, No. 461 (Volume LIII, Number 11), Quadrant Magazine Limited, page 2:

     Although we don't know exactly why Li is chosen to dance, we witness a man assuring officials that the child isn't from bourgeois stock. Phew. There are no known landowners in the family, so the grasshopper passes some cultural purity test, in a state often fixated on class warfare, driven by the cult of personality, and bullied by paranoia.

4. In ordinary square or upright pianos of London make, the escapement lever or jack, so made that it can be taken out and replaced with the key.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Grove to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (piano escapement lever): hopper

Derived terms

• grasshopper engine
• grasshopper lobster
• grasshopper warbler
• knee high to a grasshopper

Related terms

• grasshop

Translations