- mossback
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a) A turtle that, because of its age, has a growth of algae on its back.
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mossback
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Mossback — Moss back , n. A veteran partisan; one who is so conservative in opinion that he may be likened to a stone or old tree covered with moss. [Political Slang, U.S.] [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mossback — (n.) conservative, 1874, especially of poor whites from Carolina, originally (1872) in reference to those who hid out to avoid service in the Confederate army (and would have stayed out till the moss grew on their backs); from MOSS (Cf. moss) +… … Etymology dictionary
mossback — [n] old fashioned person conservative, fuddy duddy*, geezer*, old fogy*, old geezer*, square*; concept 424 … New thesaurus
mossback — ☆ mossback [môs′bak΄ ] n. 1. an old fish, shellfish, turtle, etc. with a greenish growth of algae, etc. over the back 2. Informal an old fashioned or very conservative person … English World dictionary
mossback — [“mOsbAk] n. an old square; a stick in the mud. □ Walter, you are such an old mossback. □ I enjoy appearing to be a mossback. People expect so little from you … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
mossback — noun Date: 1872 1. a large sluggish fish (as a largemouth bass) 2. an extremely old fashioned or reactionary person ; fogy • mossbacked adjective … New Collegiate Dictionary
mossback — /maws bak , mos /, n. 1. Informal. a. a person holding very antiquated notions; reactionary. b. a person living in the backwoods; rustic. 2. an old turtle. 3. Angling. a large and old fish, as a bass. 4. a wild bull or cow. [1870 75, Amer.; MOSS… … Universalium
mossback — Synonyms and related words: Methuselah, antediluvian, antique, back number, backwoodsman, bumpkin, clodhopper, conservationist, conservatist, conservative, dad, diehard, dodo, elder, fogy, fossil, fud, fuddy duddy, granny, has been, hayseed, hick … Moby Thesaurus
mossback — I (Roget s IV) n. Syn. right winger, reactionary, die hard; see conservative . II (Roget s Thesaurus II) noun 1. A person who vehemently, often fanatically opposes progress and favors return to a previous condition: die hard, reactionary,… … English dictionary for students
mossback — mÉ”sbæk / mÉ’s n. extreme conservative, one who has old fashioned opinions (Slang) … English contemporary dictionary
