by Kevin Burton
My late great cat Mex had a verb coined in her honor.
She used to head butt people, as opposed to the usual cat way of rubbing against people with the side of the head or body. To headbutt became “To Mex.”
Usage: “Stop Mexing me!”
It’s a real word for me, though I did just stop short of telling my dictionary to recognize it.
We continue now with more traditional animal names that have become verbs. The list is courtesy Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Badger
The badger is a burrowing mammal of the weasel family. It’s also the nickname for a resident of Wisconsin.
As a verb, to badger means to harass or annoy someone persistently.
While some animal names get used as verbs because the action is similar to something an animal does, that’s not the case with badger. More likely, it comes from the sport of baiting badgers, usually with dogs. (Appropriately, the verbs dog and hound can also mean “to harass or annoy.”)
Ferret
Ferret is the name for the small domesticated animal descended from the European polecat. While now kept as pets, they were previously used to flush out rabbits and other game animals or vermin that had burrowed underground.
That’s how ferret came to be used as a verb (often followed by out) to mean “to find and bring to light by searching”:
Snipe
A snipe is a slender-billed bird of the sandpiper family, though the term has applied to any of several game birds living in marshy areas. Just as a hunter hides in the reeds to hunt snipe, the verb to snipe means to shoot at someone from a concealed location or from far away.
Like many other verbs of assault, snipe can also mean to criticize someone unfairly, in this case often in a way that can’t be easily defended.
Rat
The rodent known for its pointy nose and long tail has developed an unseemly reputation. The association of rats with filth and pestilence can likely be attributed to their role in the Great Plague, as fleas that nested in the fur of rats traveling on merchant ships throughout Europe likely transmitted the bacteria that caused the disease.
In spite of that connection, rats are also popular pets and have historically been used as subjects for laboratory research.
While there is nothing specific to the behavior of rats that makes rat an appropriate verb for informing on another, the appearance of the animal in idioms such as like rats fleeing a sinking ship encourages a connotation of disloyalty.
Squirrel
The arboreal rodent known as the squirrel is famous for its ability to plan for the long term by hoarding nuts and seeds for the winter. From that habit, the phrase squirrel away has come to refer to the storing up of something (often in an out-of-the-way place) for future use.
Parrot
Parrots are not the only birds that can mimic sounds and voices, but they among all birds have become known for doing so due to their ability to repeat even complex human phrasings. Wild parrots learn the calls of their families and flocks as a means of communication. A parrot bought in a pet store does the same with the voice of its human keeper.
The verb parrot has come to describe the action of repeating another’s words or thoughts, often without consideration of their meaning.
Ape
Like parrot, to ape also means to mimic or duplicate another, often in an inferior way. But while parrots mimic speech or sound, apes—a category that encompasses chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons—are more likely to repeat another’s actions. Consequently, ape is more likely than parrot to describe a kind of wholesale imitation, involving all aspects.
Weasel
As Homer Simpson once said, “Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals, except the weasel.”
How did weasels come to be associated with sneakiness and insincerity? Perhaps it was due to the fact that their stealth allows weasels to prey on animals larger than themselves, and their slender bodies allow them to pass through openings, such as gaps in chicken coops.
To weasel out now means to avoid responsibility, but you can also weasel your way into something, such as a job you don’t deserve:
Fox
The phrase “sly as a fox” exists for a reason. Foxes have a reputation for being cunning and crafty, primarily due to their representation in folklore, such as Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Crow,” in which the fox tricks the crow into dropping a piece of cheese from its beak.
Fox therefore means “to outwit” or “to baffle.” But you are more likely to encounter the verb outfox, which essentially means the same thing but suggests a battle of wits.
Page 7 