Eel

Definitions

1. A township in Cass County, Indiana, United States, probably named after the Eel River.
2. Any freshwater fish of the order Anguilliformes, which are elongated and resemble snakes.
3. A European eel (Anguilla anguilla).
4. Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
5. Other ray-finned fishes:
6. An electric eel (any knifefish of the genus Electrophorus)
7. In the order Synbranchiformes:
8. A swamp eel (any fish in the family Synbranchidae).
9. An earthworm eel, also called the spineless eel (any fish in the family Chaudhuriidae).
10. A spiny eel (any fish in the family Mastacembelidae).
11. A deep-sea spiny eel (any fish in the family Notacanthidae).
12. Certain amphibians:
13. A conger eel, also called the Congo eel, amphiuma, and Congo snake (any salamander of the genus Amphiuma).
14. A two-legged eel, also called the mud eel and lesser siren, Siren intermedia.
15. A leopard eel, also called the leopard siren and reticulated siren, Siren reticulata.
16. A rubber eel, Typhlonectes natans.
17. A vinegar eel, a roundworm of species Turbatrix aceti.
18. Someone or something that is sneaky and/or hard to catch.

Equivalents

Examples

“Off the United States, the National Marine Fisheries Service is helping industry explore⟳ fisheries for deep shrimp, rattails, chimeras, orange roughy, smoothheads, slackjaw eels, blue hake, skates and dogfish, which the National Fisheries Institute, an industry group, in an effort to improve⟳ their marketability, has renamed cape shark.”

“That Dennis is a right eel, he always seems to slip⟳ away from the scene at the right time.”

“His expression when incredulous. "Why would you think⟳ that?" He was a slippery little eel.”

“Philosophers and literary critics from ancient times, along with social scientists, physicians, theologians, and biblical scholars more recently, have⟳ tried to get⟳ a tentative handle⟳, if not a firm grasp, on this "slippery eel" of humor and laughter.”

“John scowled after the dog. "Never fear, my lady. I shall get⟳ the sneaky, slippery eel yet."”

CEFR level