snail

Everyday

1. A snail is a small, slow animal with a soft, slimy body and a spiral shell on its back that lives on land or in water. tree →
2. Snail can describe something very slow («at a snail's pace»). tree →

In the lessons

In science snails are molluscs: they have one muscular foot, leave a trail of slime, have tentacles with eyes, and eat plants, so gardeners see them as pests. They hide in their shells when it is dry or dangerous. In maths puzzles a snail climbing a wall is a classic problem. Phrases: «at a snail's pace», «snail mail» (letters sent by post), «snail shell».

Examples

• A snail left a silvery trail across the path. tree →
• The snail pulled its head into its shell. tree →
• Snails ate all our lettuce. tree →
• The traffic moved at a snail's pace. tree →
• Snails come out after rain. tree →
• A snail has its eyes on the tips of its tentacles. tree →
• Grandma still sends birthday cards by snail mail. tree →
• A snail climbs 3 metres a day and slips back 2 at night, so it gains 1 metre each full day. tree →
• "I take my time," said the snail. tree →

Note

Countable: «a snail». A snail without a shell is a «slug». Wash your hands after touching snails. In the classic puzzle, the snail escapes on the last day before slipping back, so count carefully.

In Jewish tradition

In the Psalm it is a creature that seems to melt away as it moves, a picture of how the wicked will vanish.

Interpretation. Commentators take it as a picture of the wicked wasting away and leaving nothing behind.

Examples

• Let them be as a snail which melteth and passeth away; like the untimely births of a woman, that have not seen the sun. (Writings PSA.58.9, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable: «a snail». A snail without a shell is a «slug». Wash your hands after touching snails. In the classic puzzle, the snail escapes on the last day before slipping back, so count carefully.