Meaning of grass-eater | Babel Free

Definitions

1. An organism notable for eating grass
2. A celibate man, especially a Japanese man, who eschews dating and sexual relationships.
   derogatory, slang
3. A fish of species Distichodus rostratus or Distichodus engycephalus, of Africa
4. A police officer who accepts offered bribes but does not actively seek them out.
   figuratively

Examples

“But why do police become⟳ grass-eaters at all, if they lack the greed and contempt fo decency necessary to become⟳ meat-eaters?”

“It was the grass-eaters, the commission found, that made corruption respectable within the organization, encouraging a code of silence among officers.”

“Grass-eaters constituted the majority of police officers who were corrupt; meat-eaters were rare. But meat-eaters are more dangerous. They aggressively misuse their police powers for personal gain⟳.”

“That is what the modern men of Japan have⟳ done, these grass-eaters.”

“The grass-eaters fail⟳ to maintain⟳ a 'manly' appearance, snared instead by the world of cosmetics and fashion which makes them look⟳ soft, 'fragile and girlie' ([…]).”

“She dubbed them “herbivore men” (shoshoku danshi) in a 2006 article, and the phrase caught on as the nation took note⟳ of the gentle grass-eaters. Their lesser-known counterparts are the “carnivore women” (nikushoku joshi) who take⟳ the initiative in life and love⟳.”

CEFR level