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badger
badger name for several related members of the weasel family. Most badgers are large, nocturnal, burrowing animals, with broad, heavy bodies, long snouts, large, sharp claws, and long, grizzled fur. The Old World badger, Meles meles, is found in Europe and in Asia N of the Himalayas; it is about 3 ft (90 cm) long, with a 4-in. (10-cm) tail, and weighs about 30 lb (13.6 kg). Its unusual coloring, light above and dark below, is unlike that of most mammals but is found in some other members of the family. The head is white, with a conspicuous black stripe on each side. European badgers live, often in groups, in large burrows called sets, which they usually dig in dry slopes in woods. They emerge at night to forage for food; their diet is mainly earthworms but also includes rodents, young rabbits, insects, and plant matter. The American badger, Taxidea taxus, is about 2 ft (60 cm) long, with a 5-in. (13-cm) tail and weighs 12 to 24 lb (5.4-10.8 kg); it is very short-legged, which gives its body a flattened appearance. The fur is yellowish gray and the face black, with a white stripe over the forehead and around each eye. It is found in open grasslands and deserts of W and central North America, from N Alberta to N Mexico. It feeds largely on rodents and carrion; an extremely swift burrower, it pursues ground squirrels and prairie dogs into their holes, and may construct its own living quarters 30 ft (9.1 m) below ground level. American badgers are solitary and mostly nocturnal; in the extreme north they sleep through the winter. Several kinds of badger are found in SE Asia; these are classified in a number of genera. Badgers are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Mustelidae. |
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"badger." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "badger." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-badger.html "badger." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-badger.html |
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badger
badger. Any of various flesh-eating mammals that burrow in the ground; the most common species in the British Isles is meles meles. In the Mabinogi the heroes play a grim game called ‘badger-in-the-bag’, derived from the way the fierce badger is subdued and captured. Pwyll captures Rhiannon's rival suitor, Gwawl, in a giant bag. In Irish tradition Grian turns the sons of Conall into badgers; they were later killed by Cormac Gaileng. Adamnán says in his life of St Columba (late 7th cent.) that a Pictish magus or holy man is named Brocan, ‘badger’. Celtic words for ‘badger’ show considerable uniformity; OIr. brocc; ModIr. broc; ScG broc; W broch; Corn. brogh; Bret. broc'h.
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "badger." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "badger." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-badger.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "badger." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-badger.html |
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badger
badger the verbal sense of badger to mean ‘repeatedly and annoyingly ask someone to do something’ probably originates from badger-baiting, a sport in which dogs draw a badger from its sett and kill it, illegal in the UK since 1830.
In Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows (1908), Mr Badger is the taciturn but authoritative leader of the group of animals who reform the boastful Toad (see toad). Badger State an informal name for Wisconsin. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "badger." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "badger." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-badger.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "badger." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-badger.html |
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badger
badg·er / ˈbajər/ • n. 1. a heavily built omnivorous nocturnal mammal of the weasel family, typically having a gray and black coat. Several genera and species include the North American Taxidea taxus, with a white stripe on the head. 2. (Badger) inf. a native of Wisconsin. • v. [tr.] ask (someone) repeatedly and annoyingly for something; pester: they badgered him about the deals. |
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"badger." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "badger." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-badger.html "badger." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-badger.html |
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badger
badger Burrowing, nocturnal mammal that lives in Eurasia, North America, and Africa. It has a stocky body with short legs and tail. Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) have grey bodies with black-and-white striped heads. American badgers (Taxidea taxus) are smaller and have grey-reddish fur with a white head stripe. The honey badger lives in Africa. Body length: 42–90cm (17–35in); weight: 10–20kg (22–44lb). Family Mustelidae.
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"badger." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "badger." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-badger.html "badger." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-badger.html |
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badger
badger XVI (also †bageard XVI, †badgerd XVI–XVII). perh. f. prec. + -ARD, with allusion to the white mark on the animal's forehead (but badge is not recorded in this sense).
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T. F. HOAD. "badger." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "badger." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-badger.html T. F. HOAD. "badger." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-badger.html |
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Badger
BadgerTo bury the foot of a badger underneath one's sleeping place is believed by Voudou worshipers and some Gypsies to excite or awaken love. |
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"Badger." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Badger." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403800486.html "Badger." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403800486.html |
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Badger
Badger Shrops. Beghesovre 1086 (DB). ‘Hillspur of a man called *Bæcg’. OE pers. name + *ofer.
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A. D. MILLS. "Badger." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Badger." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Badger.html A. D. MILLS. "Badger." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Badger.html |
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badger
badger (Meles, Taxidea) See MUSTELIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "badger." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "badger." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-badger.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "badger." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-badger.html |
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badger
badger
•badger, cadger
•Alger, neuralgia
•ganja, grandeur, phalanger
•charger, enlarger, maharaja, raja
•slàinte • turbocharger
•dredger, edger, hedger, ledger, pledger, St Leger
•avenger, revenger
•gauger, golden-ager, major, old-stager, pager, rampager, sergeant major, stager, wager
•arranger, changer, danger, endanger, exchanger, Grainger, hydrangea, manger, ranger, stranger
•moneychanger • teenager
•bushranger
•besieger, paraplegia, procedure
•abridger
•cringer, ginger, impinger, infringer, injure, ninja, whinger, winger
•dowager • voyager • harbinger
•bondager • wharfinger • packager
•Scaliger
•challenger, Salinger
•pillager, villager
•armiger • scrimmager
•rummager, scrummager
•manager • derringer • forager
•porringer • encourager
•Massinger, passenger
•presager • messenger • Kissinger
•integer, vintager
•cottager • frontager • ravager
•salvager • scavenger
•Elijah, Niger, obliger
•codger, dodger, lodger, roger, todger
•forger, Georgia, gorger
•gouger
•lounger, scrounger
•sunlounger • soldier
•Abuja, puja
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"badger." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "badger." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-badger.html "badger." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-badger.html |
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