mossback
Plural: mossbacks
Noun
- A large, old fish, or a very conservative person.
- an extremely old-fashioned conservative
- Synonym of mossyback (“a person with old-fashioned views; hence, one who is very conservative or reactionary”).
- A person who stayed hidden to evade conscription (especially by the Confederate States Army) during the American Civil War (1861–1865); a mossyback.
- Senses relating to animals.
- A turtle that, because of its age, has a growth of algae on its back
- Senses relating to animals.
- A common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina).
- Senses relating to animals.
- Synonym of mossyback (“a fish that is large and old, especially one that has algae growing on its back”).
- Senses relating to animals.
- A largemouth bass or moss bass (Micropterus salmoides).
Examples
- The veteran Scrabble player was a MOSSBACK, sticking to classic, reliable words.
Origin / Etymology
From moss + back (in senses 1 (“person with old-fashioned views; one who is very conservative or reactionary”) and 2.3 (“fish that is large and old”) probably a variant of mossyback, which is attested earlier), alluding to someone or something that is so old or has remained so unmoving that it is as if moss has grown on them or it.
Sense 2.4 (“largemouth bass”) may refer to the back of the fish being a dark green colour.
Synonyms
conservative, mossyback, reactionary, retrograde, traditionalist
Scrabble Score: 18
mossback: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordmossback: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
mossback: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary