polecat

/'poulæks/
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polecat

A polecat hunts for mice in a moonlit meadow.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A small, dark brown, carnivorous mammal of the weasel family (Mustelidae), native to woodlands of Eurasia and Africa. It is known for secreting a strong, unpleasant-smelling liquid from its anal glands when threatened or startled.
    • (In North American usage) A common name for various related musky-smelling mammals, such as the black-footed ferret or, informally, the skunk.
Usage
  • The word "polecat" is used as a countable noun. It typically refers to the wild animal itself.
  • It is often used in wildlife, zoology, and hunting contexts. In casual North American English, it is sometimes used interchangeably with "skunk" due to the shared defensive trait of emitting a foul odor.
Examples
  • Noun:
    • The European polecat is a skilled hunter of rabbits and rodents.
    • We caught a whiff of something terrible; I think a polecat must be nearby.
    • The farmer set a trap for the polecat that was killing his chickens.
Advanced Usage
  • "To smell like a polecat": An informal idiom meaning to smell very bad.
    • After working in the barn all day, he came home smelling like a polecat.
Variants and Related Words
  • Ferret: A domesticated form of the European polecat, often kept for hunting rabbits or as a pet.
  • Skunk (primarily North American): A different animal (family Mephitidae) known for a similar potent defensive spray; often called "polecat" in some regional dialects.
  • Foumart (Archaic/British Dialect): An old name for the polecat, derived from "foul marten."
Synonyms
  • Fitch: An archaic term for the polecat, especially its fur.
  • Foumart (as above).
Phrasal Verbs
  • (This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)
Related Idioms
  • "Mad as a polecat": An expression describing someone who is extremely angry or ferocious.
    • When he found his car dented, he was as mad as a polecat.
polecat

A polecat hunts for mice in a moonlit meadow.

Noun
  1. dark brown mustelid of woodlands of Eurasia that gives off an unpleasant odor when threatened
  2. American musteline mammal typically ejecting an intensely malodorous fluid when startled; in some classifications put in a separate subfamily Mephitinae

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