Definition

1. Noun:
   • An Australian sheepdog with pointed ears: A breed of working dog developed in Australia for herding livestock, particularly sheep. It is known for its intelligence, energy, and distinctive erect ears.
   • (Scottish folklore) A water spirit in the form of a horse that likes to drown its riders: A malevolent supernatural creature from Scottish mythology believed to haunt rivers and streams, often appearing as a beautiful horse to lure people onto its back before dragging them into the water.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Dog breed):

  • The farmer relied on his loyal kelpie to round up the sheep.
  • Australian kelpies are renowned for their agility and work ethic.

• Noun (Mythological creature):

  • The old tale warned children not to approach the lone horse by the loch, lest it be a kelpie.
  • In the story, the kelpie transformed into a handsome man to deceive his victims.

Advanced Usage

• "to be caught by a kelpie": To be ensnared or doomed by a deceptive or dangerous situation, alluding to the mythological creature's trick.
  • Investing in that scheme was like being caught by a kelpie; it seemed promising but led to ruin.

Variants and Related Words

• Kelpy: An alternative, less common spelling for "kelpie."
• Water horse: A general term for similar aquatic equine spirits in Celtic and other folklore, closely related to the kelpie.

Synonyms

• For the dog: Australian cattle dog, sheepdog, herding dog.
• For the spirit: Each-uisge (a similar Scottish water horse), nixie, water sprite (though these are generally less specific).

Related Phrases

• Kelpie's grip: A metaphorical phrase for an inescapable or deadly hold, derived from the creature's legendary strength.
  • The contract had him in a kelpie's grip, with no way to terminate it.

Related Idioms

• A kelpie in pony's clothing: Describes something or someone dangerously deceptive, hiding a malicious nature behind a harmless appearance. (A play on the idiom "a wolf in sheep's clothing").
  • That charming new business partner turned out to be a kelpie in pony's clothing, defrauding all the investors.

Noun

1. an Australian sheepdog with pointed ears
2. (Scottish folklore) water spirit in the form of a horse that likes to drown its riders