¦ noun
1. vegetation consisting of short plants with long narrow leaves, growing wild or cultivated on lawns and pasture.
ground covered with grass.
2. a plant with jointed stems and spikes of small wind-pollinated flowers, predominant in such vegetation. [Family Gramineae: many species.]
3. informal cannabis.
4. Brit. informal a police informer.
¦ verb
1. cover with grass.
2. (often grass on) Brit. informal inform the police of criminal activity or plans.
3. land (a fish).
4. chiefly Rugby & Australian Rules knock down.
Phrases
at grass grazing.
not let the grass grow under one's feet not delay in taking action.
put out to grass put (an animal) out to graze.
?informal force (someone) to retire.
Derivatives
grassless adjective
grass-like adjective
Origin
OE
gr?s, of Gmc origin; ult. related to
green and
grow. The sense 'police informer' is perh. related to C19 rhyming sl.
grasshopper 'copper'.