| 释义 |
skaapsteker|ˈskɑːpsteɪkə(r)|
Also scarpsticker, scha(a)psteeker, -steker, -sticker.
[Afrikaans, f. Du. skaap sheep + steker stinger.]
A venomous but usually harmless snake of the genus Psammophylax, esp. the spotted skaapsteker, P. rhombeatus, or the striped skaapsteker, P. tritæniatus, which are both greyish-brown with darker markings.
1818C. I. Latrobe Jrnl. Visit S. Afr. xxii. 353 Our good-natured Hottentots, perceiving that I had begun to collect serpents, brought me several kinds, among which were the..schaapsteker, (sheep-stinger); and copra di capella. 1834T. Pringle Afr. Sketches 280 There are several species of snakes..such as the nacht-slang (night adder), the schaap-steeker (sheep-stinger), [etc.]. 1856F. Fleming S. Afr. 406 The ‘Scarpsticker’ of the Dutch, or Night-Adder; a small dingy-brown Adder, spotted with black, about eighteen inches long. 1887Encycl. Brit. XXII. 197/1 The second African snake of this family is the ‘schapsticker’ (Sheep Stinger). 1915Chambers's Jrnl. June 437/2 The schaap-sticker..is a short, silvery snake about the thickness of a man's finger. 1931Discovery Mar. 73/2 We have droves of skaapstekers, night-adders, and house snakes. 1952Cape Argus 7 June (Mag. Sect.) 2/4, I..‘bagged’ a good collection of the local snakes; mostly of a harmless variety, such as mole snakes, water snakes, herald snakes, schaapstekers. 1973Stand. Encycl. S. Afr. IX. 651/2 The name skaapsteker is quite misleading and unfortunate, as there is certainly no truth in the widespread belief that these snakes are in the habit of biting and killing sheep. |
