So, if you've arrived on this page looking for latest on the marijuana situation in the UK, you're going to be disappointed. They may be placed in the infraorder Acrididea and have been referred-to as "short-horned grasshoppers" in older texts to distinguish them from the also-obsolete term "long-horned … Millions and millions of seeds were distributed initially across the eastern United States. St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), also known as buffalo turf in Australia and buffalo grass in South Africa, is a warm-season lawn grass that is popular for cultivation in tropical and subtropical regions. The very first lawns were grassy fields that surrounded English and French castles. Rice, corn and oats come from grass plants, for example, and most livestock animals feed primarily on grasses. The word opens all sorts of other British and underworld slang windows. the landscape, but be sure to locate them strategically so their low height during the first half of summer is visually appealing. The name is Bermuda Grass because it was first introduced in the USA from Bermuda. They infest turf grasses all over the United States so no matter which state you’re in, these little guys should be something to look out for. Yes grass flowers and produces seed just like your average garden and flower-bed plants are able to. The C4 grasses that dominate the grassland of Africa, North America and the llanos of South America all seem to have appeared between 15 and 5 Ma. All you have ever wanted to know about Grass. Maybe that's where the word comes from and maybe its origins will remain shrouded in mystery. It seems quaint now, a word that hearkens back to the days of hippies and flower power. This sense is known in other English-speaking communities such as Australia. Grass widow. Add Comment If you watch British police procedurals, you’ll likely come across the term to grass someone, meaning “to inform on someone” or “to rat someone out.” It’s a bit of British rhyming slang that originated with the 19th-century phrase to shop on someone. So that's pretty cool. For one thing, grass is a major food source all over the world. Have you ever asked that question after waking up to see a wet lawn in the early morning?Maybe it did rain last night, but then again…maybe it didn't!. Australian Words and Phrases: Aussie Speak, A Beginner's Guide to Speaking South African Slang, Why You Should Never Carry Packages for Anyone Else When You Fly, The 10 Best Cookbooks from Around the World in 2020, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London: The Complete Guide, Every UNESCO World Heritage Site in the UK, 14 "Downton Abbey" Locations You Can Visit in Real Life, Top 20 Most Popular UK Cities for International Visitors, How to Make the Most of Solo Travel in the UK, How to Enjoy a Quick Layover in London on a Budget. Before the invention of mowing machines,lawns were managed differently from today. It was introduced into the southeastern area of the United States as a pasture grass for sandy soil conditions that make it hard to grow anything. Q From Maryalice Shaw in the USA: Where does the term grass widow come from, and why?. Lawns belonging to wealthy people were sometimes maintained by the labour-intensive methods of scything and shearing. Common Bermuda grass, also known as Couch Grass or Wiregrass is scientifically called the Cynodon dactylon. Those tiny droplets you see clinging to the blades of grass are called "dew.". 11 Oct 2019. Grassing is about betraying your peers by acting as an informer. Any thoughts on the word’s origin or on how it came to mean “grass”? In London rhyming slang, a policeman or copper becomes a "grasshopper". Posted by ESC on December 31, 2004. Your ass is grass if she gave you head while we were dating. 0 0. gaisford. Grass only shows up in the fossil record about 67 million years ago, in the form of phyoliths (small silica flecks in grass that make it difficult to digest) found in fossilized dinosaur dung. Grasshoppers belong to the suborder Caelifera. The use of grass and "to grass" in this way arose as street argot in the London criminal subculture and dates back to the early part of the 20th century. Lawns may have originated as grassed enclosures within early medieval settlements used for communal grazing of livestock, as distinct from fields reserved for agriculture. It wasn't easy hauling a bucket of water out to the yard during the summer droughts. One version suggests that it is derived from the expression snake in the grass. A more likely possibility, since the usage first arose among the criminal underclass in London, is that it is rhyming slang for "to shop" or "shopper," which have similar meanings (to shop someone is to turn them in to the police). There are two popular theories about how this came about. Lv 4. "Grass" in British underworld jargon has nothing at all to do with smoking weed. Phylogeny. If you watch movies about the London criminal subculture or catch a fair amount of British crime drama on television, you've probably come across the word "grass" in various uniquely British uses. That's because grassing carries with it the idea that the "grass" is giving information about his close associates (or hers actually, though grass in this sense is rarely used to describe women or girls). Florida’s Everglades are known as many different things by locals and the rest of the world alike. It is a medium- to high-maintenance grass that forms a thick, carpetlike sod, crowding out most weeds and other grasses. Surviving plants then were able to make more seeds and so on. The right grass and the right treatments weren't the only problems facing homeowners wanting the perfect lawn, however. Originated from the fact that a murdered person's body decomposes and then provides fertilizer for grass, hence the "ass" becoming grass. Among these nicknames, the most popular nickname is “The River Of Grass.” When you grass on someone or something, you are not only filling the role of informer but also of the betrayer. The use of grass and "to grass" in this way arose as street argot in the London criminal subculture and dates back to the early part of the 20th century. There was also the challenge of providing sufficient water to keep the grass green in summer. Grass seeds are produced from a cluster of flowers known as an inflorescence. Grass seed comes from the tips of the grass when its matured. In British underworld jargon, a grass is a criminal insider who snitches on his mates. Here's an excerpt from the article, by Paul Cheston, that gets to the heart of what a grass and the act of ​grassing is: Ferne Arfin is a freelance travel writer who covers the U.K. and Greece for TripSavvy. Onion Grass or Wild Onion is a common lawn weed that looks similar to the chive plant. It could just have arisen from 'snake in the grass', which derives from the writings of Virgil (in Latin, as 'latet anguis in herba') and has been known in English, meaning traitor, since the late 17th century. Sod webworms are a lawn pest that feed on all types of grass leaving brown spots (and headaches for homeowners) in their wake. Someone who turns his pals, or their information over to the police "shops" them to the authorities. In Reply to: Grass widow posted by ESC on December 31, 2004: : : : What is the meaning of a grass widow? Widespread use of the term was no doubt fueled by its appearance. Closely shorn grass lawns first emerged in 17th century England at the homes of large, wealthy landowners. Answer Posted 2/7/98 Word Detective. Simplify a "grass shopper" and you end up with "grass". Where Did The Nickname “The River Of Grass” Come From? During the 1960s and 1970s, the term “grass” was in vogue. “Did it rain last night?" And it's not just a noun; it's an action verb too. There is another route to the word and this is via rhyming slang. by Satan March 25, 2005 Get the ass is grass neck gaiter and mug. The larvae are about 3/4 of an inch to an inch long and their coloring ranges from brown to green with dark spots. A grass is criminal or an insider who informs on his associates. That, in turn, actually dates all the way back to the Roman writer Virgil. Turns out, the grass lawn as a status symbol has its origins in European aristocracy. Grass species begin to develop flowers once the plant has developed a sufficient number of leaf blades. It is actually a type of weed that originated from African Savannah and India. Both of these ground covers make excellent alternatives to grass in modern lawns. Early Origins of the Grass family. Dear Word Detective: In February 1998 you answered a question on the origin of the British term “grass” meaning, roughly, “to snitch.” But where did the word “snitch,” which is much older, come from? A grass is a rat who 'sings' to the authorities. Where did grass originate Before the invention of mowing machines,lawns were managed differently from today. In some parts of the world, people use grass plants in construction (bamboo is a grass, for example), and wherever it grows, grass plays a vital role in curbing erosion. Recently, it was thought that grass only evolved about 55 million years ago, becoming abundant after the Age of the Dinosaurs, which ended in a mass extinction 65 million years ago, but the phytolith finding refutes this. The grass is always greener for a Super Bowl. The Oxford English Dictionary says it’s of unknown origin. By value, 75% to 80% of grass-fed beef sold in the U.S. comes from abroad, according to the Stone Barns report. There are two popular theories about how this came about. For example, a teacher trying to discover who is bullying another student might come up against a wall of silence from other teens who don't want to be seen as being a grass or who don't want to grass on their friends.The expression "Supergrass" (also the name of a British band of the 1990s) arose during the Irish "troubles" and was used to describe IRA members who were informers. Since first being introduced in the U.S., other variations of the Bahia Grass have been developed. Early records show William le Gras in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1199, and in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire of 1219. 4 years ago. Most of the cannabis available then … To grass is to sing like a canary a bird that is yellow - the color of cowards. Origin of The Grass is Always Greener A Latin proverb cited by Erasmus of Rotterdam was translated into English by Richard Taverner in 1545, as: “The corne in an other mans ground semeth euer more fertyll and plentifull then doth oure own.” (The corn in another man’s ground seems ever more fertile and plentiful than our own does.) If you witness a crime that has nothing to do with anyone you know and then give evidence to the police, you are just a witness, not a grass; you are giving evidence, not grassing. Policemen are often called "coppers" in British slang. Define grass widow. The people who named "Splendour in the Grass" likely had none of that in mind. In 1914, this grass type was introduced from Brazil. If "grass" had come from "snake in the grass," it probably would have shown up much earlier, but as is it appears to have been a simple abbreviation of the already existing "grasshopper." Most people don't let their grass go to seed, which usually takes 2-3 weeks depending on the type of grass. self propelled lawn mowers at lowes. Though over time, you may pick up the meaning from the context that surrounds it, the way in which the word grass came to be used in these particular ways is a bit of a puzzle. But grass, just like any other plant produces seed at the tip and if you let your grass re-seed itself at the beginning of the season it makes your lawn stronger/less weeds etc. She currently lives in London. That makes that person a "grass shopper.". Although "grasshopper" is sometimes used as a common name for the suborder in general, some sources restrict it to the more "advanced" groups. One version suggests that it is derived from the expression snake in the grass. "To grass" on someone or some group is to be an informer. Where does the grass come from? So if a grass is an informer, to grass, grassing  or grassing up someone describes the act of informing. Grass is less intuitive. Follow, if you can, the twisted route through rhyming slang that ends up producing this slang use of grass at its end. The surname Grass was first found in Buckinghamshire where they were descended from a Norman knight from Le Gras in Normandy, who arrived in England with the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. . Comment are off. I developed this blog to help every home owner, sport field manager, and basically everyone that has grass and is involved in the upkeep and maintenance of grassed areas. Grass. Not sure where it came from or when, but it is the shortened version of the original expression, "Your ass is grass, and I'm the lawnmower!" : : : : In Portuguese we have a very old-fashioned expression: "casar na igreja verde" - "get married in the green church". To grass is considered an act of cowardice amid underworld circles. In 2001, the London Evening Standard reported on an "arch criminal" named Michael Michael who it identified as "Britain's biggest supergrass.". While sheep were still grazed on many such park-lands, landowners increasingly depended on human labor to tend the grass closest to their homes. By extension, it's used by anyone who informs on another over bad or criminal behavior. Lawns belonging to wealthy people were sometimes maintained by the labour-intensive methods of scything and shearing. Rain or shine, there's always a chance of waking up to a wet lawn if the weather conditions are just right. Grass seed comes from grasses that have been able to flower and produce seed. Is the expression still in force? The word "laune" is first attested in 1540, and is likely related to the Celtic Brythonic word lan/llan/laun, which has the meaning of enclosure, often in relation to a place of worship. If you’re a U.S. consumer, you could … The grasses continued to spread, diversify and dominate the flora for the next few million years until an ape came along and started cultivating it around 10,000 years ago. Grass Slang. Castle grounds had to be kept clear of trees so that the soldiers protecting them had a clear view of their surroundings. The NFL makes sure of that. In most cases however, they were pasture land, maintained by grazing with sheep or other livestock. A The usual meaning given in British dictionaries is of a woman whose husband is temporarily away, say on business. grass widow synonyms, grass widow pronunciation, grass widow translation, English dictionary ... give voice to the sufferings of an abandoned lover.) Nick Pool. Today the term Supergrass is still used—usually in newspaper headlines—to describe someone inside major criminal organizations or with information about them. 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