a large crocodilian, Alligator mississipiensis, of the southern US, having powerful jaws and sharp teeth and differing from the crocodiles in having a shorter and broader snout: family Alligatoridae (alligators and caymans)
2.
a similar but smaller species, A. sinensis, occurring in China near the Yangtse River
3.
any crocodilian belonging to the family Alligatoridae
4.
any of various tools or machines having adjustable toothed jaws, used for gripping, crushing, or compacting
[C17: from Spanish el lagarto the lizard, from Latin lacerta]
1560s, lagarto, modern form attested from 1620s, a corruption of Sp. el lagarto (de Indias) "the lizard (of the Indies)," from L. lacertus (see lizard). Alligarter was an early variant. The slang meaning "non-playing devotee of swing music" is attested from 1936; the phrase
n. a long, heavy, black segment of the outside of a tire, usually a truck tire, found on the highway. : We dodged off onto the shoulder to avoid running over an alligator. , A gator bashed in the bottom of my gas tank.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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