scaly

Everyday

1. Covered with scales, the small hard flat plates on fish, snakes and lizards. tree →
2. Dry and flaky, like skin that is peeling: "scaly skin". tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils learn that reptiles have dry, scaly skin and fish have scales too; this helps sort animals into groups. In everyday life dry skin can become scaly in winter. In stories, dragons are often scaly. Phrases: scaly skin, scaly tail, scaly legs.

Examples

• Snakes have scaly skin. tree →
• The dragon had a long scaly tail. tree →
• Reptiles are scaly and lay eggs. tree →
• A bird's legs are scaly. tree →
• My hands get dry and scaly in winter. tree →
• Crocodiles have thick scaly backs. tree →
• The fish felt cool and scaly. tree →
• And he lay there on his great green scaly side, panting, and very much out of breath, because he had come such a long way. tree →

Note

Comparative: scalier, scaliest. From "scale" (one small plate). Science myth: snakes are not slimy; their scaly skin is dry. "Scale" also means a weighing machine and a ruler-like line of numbers, which is a different word.