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Shark vs Alligator - What's the difference?

shark | alligator |

As a noun shark

is a scaleless, predatory fish of the superorder selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head or shark can be (informal|derogatory) a sleazy and amoral lawyer; an ambulance chaser.

As a verb shark

is (obsolete) to steal or obtain through fraud or shark can be (obsolete) to pick or gather indiscriminately or covertly.

As a proper noun alligator is

.

shark

English

(wikipedia shark) (Selachimorpha)

Etymology 1

First attested in the 1560s, the word meaning 'scaleless fish' is of uncertain origin: it was apparently brought to England, with a specimen, by . The word may derive from the (etyl) xoc, or it may be an application of the "scoundrel" sense (which derives from the German ) to the fish; no explanation is agreed upon.[http://www.languagehat.com/archives/002843.php]

Alternative forms

* sharke (obsolete )

Noun

(en noun)
  • A scaleless, predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head.
  • * 1569', ''The true discripcion of this marueilous straunge Fishe, whiche was taken on Thursday was sennight, the xvi. day of June, this present month, in the yeare of our Lord God, M.D.lxix.'', a broadside printed in London, the earliest known use of the term; reprinted in ''A Collection of Seventy-Nine Black-Letter Ballads and Broadsides: printed in the reigh of Queen Elizabeth, between the years 1559 and 1597'' in ' 1867 :
  • The straunge fishe is in length xvij. foote and iij. foote broad, and in compas about the bodie vj. foote; and is round snowted, short headdid, hauing iij. rankes of teeth on either iawe, [...]. Also it hath v. gills of eache side of the head, shoing white. Ther is no proper name for it that I know, but that sertayne men of Captayne Haukinses doth call it a sharke .
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 13, author=AP, work=The Guardian
  • , title= Man 'surfs' great white shark , passage=He said he had spoken to a woman who was kayaking off Catalina Island, California, in 2008 when a shark' slammed her kayak from underneath and sent her flying into the air. She then landed on the back of the '''shark''', Collier said. "At that point the ' shark started to swim out to sea, so she jumped off its back," Collier said.}}
  • Someone who exploits others, for example by trickery, lies, usury, extortion.
  • * , chapter=7
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=“[…] Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks , and wolves in lamb's clothing. Oh, dear, there's so much to tell you, so many warnings to give you, but all that must be postponed for the moment.”}}
    Synonyms
    * (scaleless cartilaginous fish) (l) (obsolete)
    Derived terms
    (shark and related fish species) * angel shark, angelshark * basking shark * bramble shark * bull shark * bullhead shark * bonnethead shark * carpetshark * catshark, cat shark * cookiecutter shark * cow shark * frilled shark * goblin shark * great white shark * Greenland shark * ground shark * gummyshark, gummy shark * hammerhead shark * hound shark, houndshark * lantern shark, lanternshark * lemon shark * leopard shark * mackerel shark * mako shark * nurse shark * requiem shark * sand shark * saw shark, sawshark * sleepershark * swellshark * thresher shark * tiger shark * weasel shark * whale shark * white shark

    See also

    * dogfish * hammerhead * porbeagle * smooth-hound * thresher * white pointer

    Etymology 2

    From the (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal, derogatory) A sleazy and amoral lawyer; an ambulance chaser.
  • (informal) A relentless and resolute person or group, especially in business.
  • (informal) A very good poker or pool player.
  • (sports, and, games) A person who feigns ineptitude to win money from others.
  • Synonyms
    * (player who feigns ineptitude to win money) hustler
    Usage notes
    * The use of the term by people unfamiliar with pool is rarely well perceived by experienced players.
    Derived terms
    (shark) * card shark * loan shark * pool shark * shark bait * sharklike * sharkskin

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To steal or obtain through fraud.
  • (obsolete) To play the petty thief; to practice fraud or trickery; to swindle.
  • * Bishop Earle
  • Neither sharks for a cup or a reckoning.
  • (obsolete) To live by shifts and stratagems.
  • (Beaumont and Fletcher)
    Derived terms
    * shirk

    Etymology 3

    Perhaps from the noun, or perhaps related to shear.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To pick or gather indiscriminately or covertly.
  • * Shakespeare, Hamlet I.i.
  • Fortinbras Sharked up a list of lawless resolutes.

    Anagrams

    * *

    References

    ----

    alligator

    Etymology 1

    .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Either of two species of large amphibious reptile, , in the genus Alligator within order Crocodilia, which have sharp teeth and very strong jaws and are native to the Americas and China.
  • All you could see of the alligator were its two eyes above the water, and suddenly it snatched up and caught the poor bird with its strong jaws full of sharp teeth .
  • * 2002 , Maurice Burton, Robert Burton, International Wildlife Encyclopedia , page 38,
  • Alligators and crocodiles look extremely alike.
    The main distinguishing feature is the teeth. In a crocodile the teeth in its upper and lower jaws are in line, but in an alligator , when its mouth is shut, the upper teeth lie outside the lower ones.
  • * 2007 , Bernie McGovern (editor), Florida Almanac: 2007-2008 , 17th Edition, page 243,
  • In 1967, the federal government declared alligators' to be an Endangered Species and prohibited gator hunting and the sale of hides. The ' alligator responded and by the mid-1970s, the reptile numbers soared to an estimated half-million.
  • * 2012 , Thomas N. Tozer, Pierre's Journey to Florida: Diary of a Young Huguenot in the Sixteenth Century , unnumbered page,
  • They ran to the village screaming at the top of their lungs that an alligator' was coming after them. Several of the men in Alimacani retrieved from a storehouse the tool they used to catch ' alligators .
  • Any of various machines with strong jaws, one of which opens like the movable jaw of an alligator.
  • # (metalworking) A form of squeezer for the puddle ball.
  • # (mining) A rock breaker.
  • # (printing) A kind of job press.
  • Synonyms
    * (reptile within Crocodilia) gator (informal)
    Coordinate terms
    * (reptile within Crocodilia) caiman, cayman; croc, crocodile; gavial, gharial
    Derived terms
    * (Alligator Alley) * alligator apple * alligator bait * alligator clip * alligatored * alligator fish * alligator forceps * alligator gar * alligator grass * alligatoring * alligator leather * alligator lizard * alligator pear * (Alligator Pond) * alligator press * alligator shear * alligator skin * alligator snapper, alligator snapping turtle * alligator spread * alligator terrapin * alligator tortoise * alligator turtle, alligator-turtle * alligator weed * alligator wood * alligator wrench * American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis ) * Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis ) * gator * prairie alligator * see you later alligator * spectacled alligator

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (of paint or other coatings) To crack in a pattern resembling an alligator's skin.
  • * 2003 , Carson Dunlop & Associates, Essentials of Home Inspection: Roofing , page 24,
  • Alligatoring is a result of the sun making the top surface of the asphalt brittle.
  • * 2004 , James E. Piper, Handbook of Facility Assessment , page 39,
  • Sealing an area that is alligatoring' is a temporary solution that may delay having to replace the asphalt for several years. A more permanent repair would be to replace the ' alligatored section.
  • * 2009 , Kären M. Hess, Christine M. H. Orthmann, Criminal Investigation , page 483,
  • Common burn indicators include alligatoring , crazing, the depth of char, lines of demarcation, sagged furniture springs and spalling.

    References

    *

    Etymology 2

    .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) One who binds or ties.
  • See also
    * ligator ----