couch-grass

The gardener pulls up a patch of couch-grass from the vegetable bed.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of grass: "couch-grass" refers to a fast-spreading perennial grass (species Elymus repens or Agropyron repens), often considered a weed in gardens and agricultural fields due to its extensive root system.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The gardener struggled to remove couch-grass from the flower bed because its roots were deeply tangled. (A problematic weed with invasive roots.)
  • Couch-grass is sometimes used in traditional herbal medicine for its mild diuretic properties. (The grass has historical medicinal uses.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be overrun with couch-grass": to describe a area heavily infested by this weed.
  • The abandoned field was completely overrun with couch-grass, making it difficult to cultivate. (The field was dominated by this invasive plant.)

Variants and Related Words

• Couch-grass (n): also spelled as "couch grass" or "quackgrass" in American English.
  • The lawn was full of couch-grass, which the homeowner tried to control with herbicides. (Alternative spelling used in different regions.)

Synonyms

• Quackgrass: a common synonym for couch-grass, especially in North America.
• Twitch grass: another term for the same plant, referring to its rapid twitching growth.
• Dog grass: a colloquial name for couch-grass, sometimes used in folk remedies.

Related Idioms