bandicoot

Meaning

  1. A small, ground-dwelling Australian marsupial with a long pointed snout.
  2. (verb) To steal potatoes from the ground without disturbing the tops. Also in phrases such as 'miserable as a bandicoot' and 'bald as a bandicoot'.

Example

We've got bandicoots digging little holes all over the lawn.

Origin

From Telugu 'pandikokku', meaning 'pig-rat', originally the name of a large Indian rat.

Nearby words

All B words →