crocodile
part of speech
noun (a crocodile, crocodiles)
meaning for a pupil
1) A large reptile with a long body, thick scaly skin, a long mouth with many sharp teeth and a powerful tail; it lives in rivers and swamps in hot countries. tree →
2) (UK) A long line of children walking in pairs. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science, crocodiles are reptiles: cold-blooded, lay eggs and live near water. In Australia saltwater crocodiles are a real danger: obey warning signs and never swim where crocs live. In school in the UK, classes walk «in a crocodile» on trips. Phrases: «crocodile tears», «walk in a crocodile».
examples
- A crocodile lay still in the muddy river. tree →
- Crocodiles can stay underwater for a long time. tree →
- In northern Australia, never swim where there are crocodile warning signs. tree →
- The class walked to the museum in a crocodile. tree →
- Crocodiles lay their eggs in nests on land. tree →
- He cried crocodile tears, but he wasn't really sad. tree →
- A crocodile's skin is covered in tough scales. tree →
- Did you ever see so many crocodiles?” tree →
note
Countable: crocodiles; short form «croc». Crocodiles and alligators are different: a crocodile's snout is narrower and its lower teeth show when its mouth is closed. «Crocodile tears» means fake crying.
In the corpora
- Crocodiles lay eggs in nests; the mother guards them and carries the hatchlings to water in her mouth.
- Crocodile ancestors lived alongside dinosaurs over 200 million years ago, and crocodiles are the closest living relatives of birds.
- In the death roll a crocodile spins in the water to tear chunks off its prey, because it can't chew.
- Caimans and crocodiles bask with their mouths open to let heat escape and cool down; it is not a threat or a yawn.
- Crocodiles survived the asteroid too, and they are closer relatives of birds than of lizards.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «crocodile» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.