speckled

Everyday

1. Speckled means covered with lots of small spots or marks of a different colour. tree →
2. It describes things like eggs, birds, fish or stone that have tiny dots all over. tree →

In the lessons

In science and nature lessons, speckled feathers or eggs help animals hide (camouflage). In stories and descriptive writing, a speckled hen, a speckled trout or a speckled frog paints a clear picture. The song «Five Little Speckled Frogs» is a counting rhyme.

Examples

• The thrush has a speckled chest. tree →
• We found a speckled egg in the nest. tree →
• Five little speckled frogs sat on a log. tree →
• The trout was speckled with red dots. tree →
• Speckled feathers help the bird hide in the grass. tree →
• The old mirror was speckled with dust. tree →
• She wore a blue speckled jumper. tree →
• When she went into the stables, she suddenly saw the heavy pack-saddle of the speckled mare just over her head, and she jumped and said to herself: tree →

Note

Adjective, from «speckle» (a small spot). Speckled means many tiny spots; «spotted» can mean bigger spots; «striped» means lines. In the counting song, the number of speckled frogs goes down by one each time: subtract one each verse.

In Jewish tradition

Speckled animals were those with small spots. They were the animals Laban and Jacob agreed would be Jacob's wages. Jeremiah uses "a speckled bird of prey" as a picture of Israel, which other birds attack because it looks strange.

Interpretation. Jacob's flocks came out speckled and spotted. Tradition says God helped him and that an angel showed him in a dream why this happened. Jeremiah's picture is read as God's sorrow that His own people turned against Him.

Examples

• And the flocks conceived at the sight of the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted. (Torah GEN.30.39, JPS 1917) tree →
• If he said thus: The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said thus: The streaked shall be thy wages; then bore all the flock streaked. (Torah GEN.31.8, JPS 1917) tree →
• And he said: Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. (Torah GEN.31.12, JPS 1917) tree →
• Is My heritage unto Me as a speckled bird of prey? (Prophets JER.12.9, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Adjective, from «speckle» (a small spot). Speckled means many tiny spots; «spotted» can mean bigger spots; «striped» means lines. In the counting song, the number of speckled frogs goes down by one each time: subtract one each verse.