mussel

Everyday

1. A mussel is a sea or river shellfish with a long dark blue or black shell in two halves. tree →
2. Mussels are cooked and eaten as food. tree →

In the lessons

In science, mussels are molluscs; they stick to rocks with strong threads and filter water to eat. At the seaside children find mussel beds on rocks. In cooking, mussels are steamed until shells open.

Examples

• Mussels cling to the rocks at low tide. tree →
• Dad ordered mussels with chips. tree →
• A mussel opens its shell to feed. tree →
• Don't eat a mussel that stays closed after cooking. tree →
• The rocks were black with mussels. tree →
• Mussels clean the water by filtering it. tree →
• The mussel shell grew bigger and bigger, and turned into a pretty little boat, which would have held a dozen children. tree →

Note

Homophone: «muscle» (the body part) sounds exactly the same. Joke: «Why did the mussel go to the gym? To build muscle.» Countable: one mussel, two mussels.