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Download JSON data for devil's fingers meaning in English (6.4kB)
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "devil's finger",
"tags": [
"singular"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "p",
"sg": "devil's finger"
},
"expansion": "devil's fingers pl (normally plural, singular devil's finger)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "23 35 28 14",
"kind": "lifeform",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Echinoderms",
"orig": "en:Echinoderms",
"parents": [
"Animals",
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"All topics",
"Life",
"Fundamental",
"Nature"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1876, George L. Austin, “Poetical Zoölogy”, in Appleton’s Journal, page 144",
"text": "In Ireland, and elsewhere, there exists a common species of starfish known as the “devil’s hands,” or the “devil’s fingers,” and children have a superstitious dread of touching them.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1902, F. Martin Duncan, “The Artful Starfish”, in The Royal Magazine, volume 10, page 327",
"text": "Its peculiar shape has gained the starfish many names even round the coasts of Great Britain, such as “crossfish,” “sunfish,” “old five fingers,” “five-fingered Jack,” “cramps,” and “devil’s hand” or “devil’s fingers.”",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A starfish, especially Asterias rubens."
],
"id": "en-devil's_fingers-en-noun-j7uaziTN",
"links": [
[
"starfish",
"starfish"
]
],
"qualifier": "archaic or rare",
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic or rare) A starfish, especially Asterias rubens."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "sea star"
}
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-normally"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "24 38 20 18",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
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},
{
"_dis": "13 57 10 20",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English pluralia tantum",
"parents": [
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"Lemmas"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "15 53 23 10",
"kind": "lifeform",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Crabs",
"orig": "en:Crabs",
"parents": [
"Crustaceans",
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"Arthropods",
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"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "23 35 28 14",
"kind": "lifeform",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Echinoderms",
"orig": "en:Echinoderms",
"parents": [
"Animals",
"Lifeforms",
"All topics",
"Life",
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"Nature"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1992 June 21, Rob Kasper, “To cut, or not to cut, the mustard”, in The Sun, Baltimore, Maryland, page 1G",
"text": "I removed the underside of the crab called its apron. I opened it up and removed the gills or “devil’s fingers.” And I removed its eyes and mouth.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2001 June 6, Patricia Talorico, “Just forget that it’s a whole crab; take a bite and enjoy that flavor”, in The News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware, page D1",
"text": "Next, remove the apron from the underside of the crab. Finally, Curtis says, you’ll need to lift up each side of the shell and remove the gills or the “devil’s fingers.”",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2007 August 3, John Geiser, “Take rusties over jimmies when hunting for good-eatin’ crabs”, in Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, New Jersey",
"text": "Once the shell is off, the crab’s gills or lungs, variously called “devil’s fingers” or “dead men” are exposed. These are gray-white, feathery-looking parts that are inedible and must be scraped off and thrown away.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The gills of various species of crabs."
],
"id": "en-devil's_fingers-en-noun-8IDAkow0",
"links": [
[
"gill",
"gill"
],
[
"crab",
"crab"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, US) The gills of various species of crabs."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dead men's fingers"
},
{
"word": "dead men"
}
],
"tags": [
"US",
"informal",
"plural",
"plural-normally"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "23 35 28 14",
"kind": "lifeform",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Echinoderms",
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"parents": [
"Animals",
"Lifeforms",
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"Life",
"Fundamental",
"Nature"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "16 28 44 12",
"kind": "lifeform",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Mushrooms",
"orig": "en:Mushrooms",
"parents": [
"Fungi",
"Lifeforms",
"All topics",
"Life",
"Fundamental",
"Nature"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2006 October 21, Peter Marren, “Day of the fungi”, in The Daily Telegraph, page 15",
"text": "In North America, and increasingly in gardens in southern England, the bizarre Devil’s Fingers, Clathrus archeri, is enlivening our autumns. The first sign of it is usually a horrible stink like rotten meat. A little poking around in the shrubbery should reveal its science fiction-like body, resembling slimy scarlet tentacles emerging from a half-buried egg.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2014 December 20, “Two rare fungi found on Devon wildlife sites”, in The Western Morning News, Plymouth, England, page 4",
"text": "Specimens of the aptly named devil’s fingers and the coral-like hazel gloves were spotted nestling in the undergrowth at Devon Wildlife Trust sites.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2021 September 17, Faith Pring, “Weird fungus known as ‘devil’s fingers’ found in city”, in Derby Evening Telegraph, page 20",
"text": "“Devil’s fingers”, also known as Clathrus Archeri, were first spotted in the UK in 1914, and tend to favour moist and shaded areas of wood chips.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A fungus, Clathrus archeri, featuring pink or white 'arms' erupting from a white ball-like body, with a putrid odor."
],
"id": "en-devil's_fingers-en-noun-fJHLLQwa",
"links": [
[
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"fungus"
],
[
"putrid",
"putrid"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "octopus stinkhorn"
}
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-normally"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "23 35 28 14",
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"name": "Echinoderms",
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],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"extra": "cephalopod of the order Belemnitida",
"word": "devil's finger"
}
],
"glosses": [
"plural of devil's finger (“cephalopod of the order Belemnitida”)"
],
"id": "en-devil's_fingers-en-noun-HhPxC905",
"links": [
[
"devil's finger",
"devil's finger#English"
],
[
"cephalopod",
"cephalopod"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "belemnite"
},
{
"word": "fingerstone"
}
],
"tags": [
"form-of",
"plural",
"plural-normally"
]
}
],
"word": "devil's fingers"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English pluralia tantum",
"Entries using missing taxonomic name (species)",
"en:Crabs",
"en:Echinoderms",
"en:Mushrooms"
],
"forms": [
{
"form": "devil's finger",
"tags": [
"singular"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "p",
"sg": "devil's finger"
},
"expansion": "devil's fingers pl (normally plural, singular devil's finger)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with archaic senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with rare senses",
"Entries using missing taxonomic name (species)"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1876, George L. Austin, “Poetical Zoölogy”, in Appleton’s Journal, page 144",
"text": "In Ireland, and elsewhere, there exists a common species of starfish known as the “devil’s hands,” or the “devil’s fingers,” and children have a superstitious dread of touching them.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1902, F. Martin Duncan, “The Artful Starfish”, in The Royal Magazine, volume 10, page 327",
"text": "Its peculiar shape has gained the starfish many names even round the coasts of Great Britain, such as “crossfish,” “sunfish,” “old five fingers,” “five-fingered Jack,” “cramps,” and “devil’s hand” or “devil’s fingers.”",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A starfish, especially Asterias rubens."
],
"links": [
[
"starfish",
"starfish"
]
],
"qualifier": "archaic or rare",
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic or rare) A starfish, especially Asterias rubens."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "sea star"
}
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-normally"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"English informal terms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1992 June 21, Rob Kasper, “To cut, or not to cut, the mustard”, in The Sun, Baltimore, Maryland, page 1G",
"text": "I removed the underside of the crab called its apron. I opened it up and removed the gills or “devil’s fingers.” And I removed its eyes and mouth.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2001 June 6, Patricia Talorico, “Just forget that it’s a whole crab; take a bite and enjoy that flavor”, in The News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware, page D1",
"text": "Next, remove the apron from the underside of the crab. Finally, Curtis says, you’ll need to lift up each side of the shell and remove the gills or the “devil’s fingers.”",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2007 August 3, John Geiser, “Take rusties over jimmies when hunting for good-eatin’ crabs”, in Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, New Jersey",
"text": "Once the shell is off, the crab’s gills or lungs, variously called “devil’s fingers” or “dead men” are exposed. These are gray-white, feathery-looking parts that are inedible and must be scraped off and thrown away.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The gills of various species of crabs."
],
"links": [
[
"gill",
"gill"
],
[
"crab",
"crab"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, US) The gills of various species of crabs."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dead men's fingers"
},
{
"word": "dead men"
}
],
"tags": [
"US",
"informal",
"plural",
"plural-normally"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"Entries using missing taxonomic name (species)"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2006 October 21, Peter Marren, “Day of the fungi”, in The Daily Telegraph, page 15",
"text": "In North America, and increasingly in gardens in southern England, the bizarre Devil’s Fingers, Clathrus archeri, is enlivening our autumns. The first sign of it is usually a horrible stink like rotten meat. A little poking around in the shrubbery should reveal its science fiction-like body, resembling slimy scarlet tentacles emerging from a half-buried egg.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2014 December 20, “Two rare fungi found on Devon wildlife sites”, in The Western Morning News, Plymouth, England, page 4",
"text": "Specimens of the aptly named devil’s fingers and the coral-like hazel gloves were spotted nestling in the undergrowth at Devon Wildlife Trust sites.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2021 September 17, Faith Pring, “Weird fungus known as ‘devil’s fingers’ found in city”, in Derby Evening Telegraph, page 20",
"text": "“Devil’s fingers”, also known as Clathrus Archeri, were first spotted in the UK in 1914, and tend to favour moist and shaded areas of wood chips.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A fungus, Clathrus archeri, featuring pink or white 'arms' erupting from a white ball-like body, with a putrid odor."
],
"links": [
[
"fungus",
"fungus"
],
[
"putrid",
"putrid"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "octopus stinkhorn"
}
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-normally"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"Entries using missing taxonomic name (order)"
],
"form_of": [
{
"extra": "cephalopod of the order Belemnitida",
"word": "devil's finger"
}
],
"glosses": [
"plural of devil's finger (“cephalopod of the order Belemnitida”)"
],
"links": [
[
"devil's finger",
"devil's finger#English"
],
[
"cephalopod",
"cephalopod"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "belemnite"
},
{
"word": "fingerstone"
}
],
"tags": [
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"plural",
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}
],
"word": "devil's fingers"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.