weasel
American Heritage Dictionary:
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wea·sel
(wē'zəl) 
n.
To be evasive; equivocate.
phrasal verb:
n.
- Any of various carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela, having a long slender body, a long tail, short legs, and brownish fur that in many species turns white in winter.
- A person regarded as sneaky or treacherous.
To be evasive; equivocate.
phrasal verb:
weasel out Informal.
- To back out of a situation or commitment in a sneaky or cowardly manner.
[Middle English wesele, from Old English wesle.]
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(click to enlarge)
Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata). (credit: John H. Gerard)
Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata). (credit: John H. Gerard)
For more information on weasel, visit Britannica.com.
The common name for at least 12 species of carnivores which are members of the family Mustelidae. They have a varied distribution in many regions of the world (see table).
| Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
Mustela rixosa | Pygmy weasel | North America |
M. frenata | Long-tailed weasel | North and South America |
M. nivalis | Common weasel | Europe, Asia, and Africa |
M. altaica | Alpine weasel | Asia |
M. sibirica | Siberian weasel | Asia |
M. kathiah | Yellow-bellied weasel | Asia |
M. strigidorsa | Back-striped weasel | Southern Asia |
M. lutreolina | Java weasel | Java |
M. nudipes | Bare-footed weasel | Malaysia |
Lyncodon patagonicus | Patagonian weasel | South America |
Poecilictis libyca | Libyan striped weasel | North Africa |
Poecilogale albinucha | White-naped weasel | Africa |
The common or European weasel is Mustela nivalis. This animal is a slim, voracious carnivore with a long body. The limbs are short and the body is muscular. Although the claws are nonretractile, these animals climb with agility. The gestation period is 5 weeks, and four to six young are born in a nest made in a hollow tree or rabbit burrow. One or two litters are born each year, and the life-span is about 8 years.
The common weasel has a wide distribution throughout Europe, North Africa, and Asia, and has managed to survive because of its size and ability to escape detection. It preys upon small rodents, such as mice, voles, and rats, and has been incriminated in attacking domestic animals, such as poultry. See also Ferret; Fisher; Marten; Mink; Otter; Skunk; Wolverine.
Roget's Thesaurus:
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weasel
noun
verb
- To use evasive or deliberately vague language: equivocate, euphemize, hedge, shuffle, tergiversate. Informal pussyfoot, waffle. Idioms: beataboutaroundthe bush, mince words. See clear/unclear.
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[Cambridge] A naive user, one who deliberately or accidentally does things that are stupid or ill-advised. Roughly synonymous with loser.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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weasel
weasel, name for certain small, lithe, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae (weasel family). Members of this family are generally characterized by long bodies and necks, short legs, small rounded ears, and medium to long tails. All have scent glands, generally used for territorial markings but in some animals for defense. True weasels belong to the genus Mustela, with species found in Eurasia, N Africa, and the Americas. Weasels are very active and chiefly terrestrial but are able to climb trees. They prey on small animals by night, often killing more than they eat, and spend the day in dens made in holes in the ground, rock piles, or hollow stumps. Although they are notorious for destruction of poultry, the damage they do is far outweighed by their value as destroyers of rodents. Weasels are usually brown, with white underparts. Species living in snowy regions acquire white coats in winter and are then known as ermine. The most widely distributed weasel, Mustela erminea, is known in Europe as the stoat and in North America as the short-tailed weasel. It is about 16 in. (40 cm) long including the 5-in. (13-cm) tail; it has a white winter coat through much of its range and a characteristic black tail tip the year around. It ranges from the Arctic Ocean to central Asia, S Europe and the central United States. The much smaller M. nivalis, known in Europe simply as weasel, is found in Europe, N and central Asia, and N Africa. It turns white only in the extreme northern parts of its range. Among the New World weasels is the tiny least weasel, measuring only 7 or 8 in. (18-20 cm) in total length; it ranges from the N central United States to N Canada and Alaska. There are many other true weasel species, mostly in the Old World. Besides these, the genus Mustela includes the polecat, ferret, and mink. African animals of several genera in the weasel family are called striped weasels; they are characterized by conspicuous black and white markings and, in some cases, by the use of scent for defense. Among these is a skunklike animal with a powerful odor known as the zorilla. The weasel family also includes the marten, fisher, and wolverine, as well as the more distantly related skunk, badger, honey badger (or ratel), and otter. Weasels are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Mustelidae.
Bibliography
See B. Gilbert, The Weasel (1970); C. King, Weasels and Stoats (1989).
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weasel (weasel and stoat)
coat: get yer weasel- you've pulled
coat: get yer weasel
| wally, wallace and gromit, Who are the Cockneys? | |
| weaver's, wee georgie, wentworth falls |
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Small, short-legged, serpentine-bodied carnivore of great agility and voracity. Tawny colored, some turning white in winter. Members of the family Mustelidae. Called also Mustela spp., e.g. M. nivalis (common weasel).
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'weasel'
- Carnivores
- Trucks and Buses - weasel: tractorlike vehicle used in snow
- Morality or Character
- Secrecy and Concealment - weasel: Slang. informer or stool pigeon
- Fraud, Treachery, and Deception - weasel: (vb) evade one’s obligations; manipulate situation to one’s advantage; (n) Slang. informer
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Weasel
For other uses, see Weasel (disambiguation).
| Weasel | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Least Weasel | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Caniformia |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Subfamily: | Mustelinae |
| Genus: | Mustela Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Species | |
|
Mustela africana |
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| Mustela range | |
Weasels (
/ˈwiːzəl/) are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs.
Weasels vary in length from 12 to 45 centimetres (5 to 18 in), and usually have a red or brown upper coat and a white belly; some populations of some species moult to a wholly white coat in winter. They have long slender bodies, which enable them to follow their prey into burrows. Their tails may be from 22 to 33 centimetres (9 to 13 in) long. Weasels have a reputation for cleverness and guile.
Weasels feed on small mammals, and have from time to time been considered vermin since some species took poultry from farms, or rabbits from commercial warrens. Weasels occur all across the world except for Antarctica, Australia, and neighbouring islands.
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Contents
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Terminology
The English word "weasel" was originally applied to one species of the genus, the European form of the Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis). This usage is retained in British English, where the name is also extended to cover several other small species of the genus. It is thought that the name "weasel" comes from the Anglo-Saxon root "weatsop" meaning "a vicious bloodthirsty animal". However, in technical discourse and in American usage the term "weasel" can refer to any member of the genus, or to the genus as a whole. Of the 17 extant species currently classified in the genus Mustela, ten have "weasel" in their common name. Among those that do not are the stoat or ermine, the polecats, the ferret, and the European Mink (the superficially similar American Mink is now regarded as belonging in another genus, Neovison).
Species
The following information is according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
| Mustela africana | Desmarest, 1800 | Tropical weasel | South America |
| Mustela altaica | Pallas, 1811 | Mountain weasel | Europe & Northern Asia Southern Asia |
| Mustela erminea | Linnaeus, 1758 | Stoat Ermine Short-tailed weasel |
Europe & Northern Asia North America Southern Asia (non-native) New Zealand (non-native) |
| Mustela eversmannii | Lesson, 1827 | Steppe polecat | Europe & Northern Asia Southern Asia |
| Mustela felipei | Izor and de la Torre, 1978 | Colombian weasel | South America |
| Mustela frenata | Lichtenstein, 1831 | Long-tailed weasel | Middle America North America South America |
| Mustela itatsi | Temminck, 1844 | Japanese weasel | Japan & Sakhalin Is. (Russia) |
| Mustela kathiah | Hodgson, 1835 | Yellow-bellied weasel | Southern Asia |
| Mustela lutreola | (Linnaeus, 1761) | European mink | Europe & Northern Asia |
| Mustela lutreolina | Robinson and Thomas, 1917 | Indonesian mountain weasel | Southern Asia |
| Mustela nigripes | (Audubon and Bachman, 1851) | Black-footed ferret | North America |
| Mustela nivalis | Linnaeus, 1766 | Least weasel | Europe & Northern Asia North America Southern Asia (non-native) New Zealand (non-native) |
| Mustela nudipes | Desmarest, 1822 | Malayan weasel | Southern Asia |
| Mustela putorius | Linnaeus, 1758 | European polecat Domesticated Ferret (ssp. furo) |
Europe & Northern Asia New Zealand (ssp. furo) (non-native) |
| Mustela sibirica | Pallas, 1773 | Siberian weasel | Europe & Northern Asia Southern Asia |
| Mustela strigidorsa | Gray, 1855 | Back-striped weasel | Southern Asia |
| Mustela subpalmata | Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1833 | Egyptian weasel | Egypt |
1 Europe & Northern Asia division excludes China.
The extinct "Sea mink" was commonly included in this genus as Mustela macrodon, but in 1999 was moved to the genus Neovison.[1]
Cultural meanings
Weasels have been assigned a variety of different cultural meanings. In Greek culture a weasel around the house is a sign of bad luck, even evil, "especially if there is in the household a girl about to be married" since the animal (based on its Greek etymology) was thought to be an unhappy bride who was transformed into a weasel[2] and consequently delights in destroying wedding dresses.[3] In neighboring Macedonia, however, weasels are generally seen as an omen of good fortune.[2][3]
In North America, native Americans deemed the weasel to be a bad sign; crossing its path meant a "speedy death."[4] According to Daniel Defoe also, meeting a weasel is a "bad omen."[5]
In early modern Mecklenburg, Germany, amulets from weasels were deemed to have strong magic; the period between August 15 and September 8 was specifically designated for the killing of weasels. In Montagne Noire (France), Ruthenia (Eastern Europe), and in the early medieval culture of the Wends weasels were not meant to be killed.[6]
Footnotes
- ^ IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- ^ a b Lawson, John Cuthbert (2012). Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion: A Study in Survivals. Cambridge UP. pp. 327–28. ISBN 978-1-107-67703-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=D6ghAB1AJR8C&pg=PA327. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ a b Abbott, George Frederick (1903). Macedonian folklore. Cambridge UP. pp. 108–109. http://books.google.com/books?id=pokWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA109. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ Brown, Frank C.; Hand, Wayland D. (1977). Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore: Popular Beliefs and Superstitions from North Carolina. Duke UP. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-8223-0259-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=Oudc1sjV6cgC&pg=PA56. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ Hazlitt, William Carew; Brand, John (1905). Faiths and folklore: a dictionary of national beliefs, superstitions and popular customs, past and current, with their classical and foreign analogues, described and illustrated. Reeves and Turner. p. 622. http://books.google.com/books?id=K-4gAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA622. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ Thomas, N.W. (September 1900). "Animal Supterstitions and Totemism". Folk-lore 11: 228–67. http://books.google.com/books?id=5n0ZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA255.
References
- "Mustela". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180552. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
- Nowak, Ronald M., and Ernest P. Walker. Walker's Carnivores of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8018-8033-5, ISBN 0-8018-8032-7.
- C. Hart Merriam, Synopsis of the Weasels of North America, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1896.
External links
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Weasel
Dansk (Danish)
n. - væsel, brud
v. intr. - komme med spidsfindige udflugter, komme med søforklaringer, tale med to tunger
idioms:
- weasel word frase, tomt ord, tvetydig bemærkning
Nederlands (Dutch)
wezel, onbetrouwbaar persoon
Français (French)
n. - (Zool) belette, sournois (péj)
v. intr. - se défiler (fam), se débrouiller (pour ne pas faire)
idioms:
- weasel out soutirer (qch de qn)
- weasel word remarque sournoise
Deutsch (German)
n. - Wiesel, verschlagene Person, (Slang) Informant
v. - sich entziehen, ausweichen
idioms:
- weasel out sich seinen Verpflichtungen entziehen
- weasel word vager Begriff, zweideutige Ausdrucksweise
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ζωολ.) ικτίς, κουνάβι, νυφίτσα, (μτφ.) δόλιος, πανούργος
idioms:
- weasel word διφορούμενη κουβέντα
Italiano (Italian)
furbacchione, ambiguo, donnola
idioms:
- weasel word parola ambigua
Português (Portuguese)
n. - doninha (f) (Zool.)
idioms:
- weasel word palavra ambígua (f)
Русский (Russian)
горностай или другие животные семейства куньих, мех или шкура этих животных, проныра, доносчик, юлить, говорить уклончиво, доносить
idioms:
- weasel word ни к чему не обязывающие слова, преднамеренная двусмысленность или неясность в выражениях
Español (Spanish)
n. - comadreja
v. intr. - emplear subterfugios, ser equívoco
idioms:
- weasel out zafarse, escapar de una situación u obligación
- weasel word palabra equívoca, declaración ambigua
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
鼬鼠, 狡猾的人, 黄鼠狼, 狡辩, 告密, 躲避
idioms:
- weasel word 狡辩之词, 滑头话, 推托话
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 鼬鼠, 狡猾的人, 黃鼠狼
v. intr. - 狡辯, 告密, 躲避
idioms:
- weasel word 狡辯之詞, 滑頭話, 推托話
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 족제비, 교활한 사람, 수륙 양용차
v. intr. - 말을 흐리다, 회피하다, 밀고하다
idioms:
- weasel word 逃げ口上
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) ابن عرس, , شخص ماكر, العرسيه أي مركبه تستعمل للانطلاق على الثلج أو الرمل
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - סמור (טורף קטן)
v. intr. - סמור (טורף קטן)
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