hellbender

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hellbender

1. A very large aquatic salamander found in the US. Molly started screaming when she spotted a hellbender in the water. I nearly leapt out of the river when a hellbender brushed against my leg. Hellbenders look scary, but they're actually harmless.
2. slang An outing or period of time during which one consumes large quantities of alcohol. A: "And how are you feeling this morning?" B: "Awful. Oh man, I haven't had a hellbender like that since college!" I'm starting to worry about Lisa—she seems to have a hellbender every weekend. A: "Al's had a hellbender all week." B: "I'm not surprised—it's the anniversary of his wife's death."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

hellbender

(ˈhɛlbɛndɚ)
1. n. a drinking bout. (Use caution with hell. Hellbender is also the name of a large salamander.) Jed is off on another of his hellbenders.
2. n. a heavy drinker; a drunkard. (The bender refers to bending the elbow with a drink in hand. Use caution with hell.) Willy is a hellbender from way back.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive ?
For most species, there is little to no historical data on measures of sperm production, and this lack of historical information is the case for hellbenders. However, qualitatively, there appears to be some geographic variation in the reproductive health of hellbender populations; with some populations exhibiting apparently strong levels of recruitment (Nickerson et al., 2003).
A comparison of sperm health in declining and stable populations of hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis and C.a. bishopi)
Siltation from development projects often results in the loss of refugia for Hellbenders, as the large rocks and their openings become smothered.
Bluffton Precast, Norwalk create hut for endangered Salamander
Hellbenders' last, best hope may be a stopgap measure: Releasing captive-bred animals until herpetologists can figure out how to help them.
Fighting the current: can North America's biggest, oldest salamander survive changing times?
The Ozark hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi), which can reach a length of about 2 feet (0.6 meters), is one of the largest salamanders in the world.
The Ozark hellbender: out from under a rock
The aging population of hellbenders in Missouri and the strong shift in age structure over the years highlight the need for more information on the general health of adult hellbenders and the lack of young age classes.
Conserving Missouri's hellbenders
In that instant I realized that my question had answered itself I was looking at a hellbender, one of our continent's largest salamanders.
A wealth of salamanders: no other place on Earth is as rich in these amazing creatures as North America
The Ozark hellbender ( Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi), which can reach a length of about 2 feet (0.6 meters), is one of the largest salamanders in the world.
The Ozark hellbender out from under a rock
We were stocking hellbenders as part of an effort to increase their numbers.
Hellbender head start: providing a future for New York's largest salamander
It is the context of this writing to review the environmental alterations and to report on the confounding problems associated with hellbenders and their micro-habitat.
Cryptobranchid update: eastern hellbender/Ozark hellbender "North America's Largest Salamander"
Miller and Miller (in press) collected Eastern Hellbenders (C.
The herpetofauna of the upper Duck River watershed in Coffee County, Tennessee
DEMOGRAPHY OF HELLBENDERS IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE: CAUSE FOR CONCERN?
Abstracts of papers presented at the 113th meeting
In October 2009, Buffalo Zoo reptile and amphibian keepers began working with DEC biologist Ken Roblee to give hellbenders a helping hand.
Headstarting hellbenders
Can you tell me if mudpuppies and hellbenders are the same salamander?
Mudpuppies
Like hellbenders, they are generally found under larger rocks and debris in shallow waters where they nest.
Salamanders of New York State. (Lake, Pond, & Stream)
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