gar

Everyday

1. A gar is a long, thin fish with a narrow snout full of sharp teeth, such as the North American gar of rivers and lakes. tree →
2. In the UK and Australia, «garfish» is a long thin sea fish with a beak-like jaw. tree →
3. «gar» is also a short piece of words like «garden» or «cigar». tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons, gars are old kinds of fish with hard, shiny scales, called «living fossils». Anglers in the USA catch alligator gar, which can be huge. On its own «gar» is rare in children's talk.

Examples

• The alligator gar has a mouth like a crocodile. tree →
• A gar can breathe air at the surface. tree →
• Gars have tough, armour-like scales. tree →
• We saw a garfish in the harbour. tree →
• The gar waited still among the weeds. tree →
• Some gars grow longer than a grown-up. tree →

Note

Countable; plural «gars» or «gar». Pronounced like «car» with a g. Mostly American and Australian in use.