piranha

Everyday

1. A piranha is a South American river fish with very sharp, triangle-shaped teeth that eats meat as well as plants and fruit. tree →
2. (informal) A piranha can describe a fierce, greedy person who attacks others to get what they want. tree →

In the lessons

In science and geography lessons about the Amazon river, piranhas show food chains: they eat fish, insects, seeds and dead animals, and are eaten by river dolphins, caimans and birds. They swim in groups. Films show them as man-eaters, but real attacks on people are rare and usually just bites. Phrases: «a shoal of piranhas», «razor-sharp teeth», «a feeding frenzy».

Examples

• Piranhas live in the Amazon River. tree →
• A piranha's teeth fit together like scissors. tree →
• The fishermen pulled a piranha out of the river. tree →
• Piranhas usually swim in shoals for safety. tree →
• Some piranhas eat mostly seeds and fruit. tree →
• In the film the piranhas ate everything in seconds, but that is not true to life. tree →
• The reporters were like piranhas, all shouting questions at once. tree →

Note

Plural «piranhas». Say pi-RAH-na (some say pi-RAN-ya). Myth: piranhas do not usually strip people to the bone; that idea comes from films and old stories.