Definition

Noun: * A legless lizard: "joint snake" refers to a specific type of lizard, Ophisaurus attenuatus, found in parts of North America. It is not a true snake but resembles one due to its elongated, limbless body. * Glass lizard: This is the more common name for the creature. It is known for its extremely long, fragile tail, which can break off easily as a defense mechanism. * A reptile with regenerative ability: A defining characteristic is its ability to regenerate its tail after it has been broken or shed.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • While hiking, we spotted a joint snake slithering through the leaf litter.
  • The joint snake is often mistaken for a snake, but it has movable eyelids and external ear openings.
  • A key survival trait of the joint snake is its ability to lose and regrow its tail.

Advanced Usage

• "like a joint snake": Used figuratively to describe something that is fragile or easily broken into segments.
  • The old, dry rope snapped like a joint snake's tail.

Variants and Related Words

• Glass lizard (n): The most common synonym for "joint snake."
• Slender glass lizard (n): A more precise variant name.
• Ophisaurus (n): The scientific genus name for these lizards.
• Regenerate (v): To grow back or renew, as the lizard does its tail.

Synonyms

• Glass lizard
• Slender glass lizard
• Legless lizard

Related Idioms

• To have a glass jaw: While not directly about the lizard, this boxing idiom shares the metaphorical concept of being fragile or vulnerable to breakage, similar to the lizard's fragile tail.

Noun

1. snakelike lizard of Europe and Asia and North America with vestigial hind limbs and the ability to regenerate its long fragile tail