strangler

Everyday

1. A strangler is a person who kills or hurts someone by squeezing their throat so they cannot breathe; it is a word from crime news and stories. tree →
2. (science) A strangler fig is a tropical plant that grows around a tree, wraps it in roots and can slowly kill it. tree →
3. Weeds that wrap around and choke other plants are sometimes called stranglers. tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons on rainforests, the strangler fig starts as a seed high in a tree, sends roots down to the ground and slowly surrounds its host. In crime news and detective stories, "the strangler" is a nickname for a violent criminal; that tells the reader the story is about serious crime. Safety: never put anything around anyone's neck, even in play.

Examples

• The strangler fig wrapped its roots around the old tree. tree →
• In the rainforest, strangler figs can grow taller than their host trees. tree →
• The detective story was about the hunt for a strangler. tree →
• Bindweed is a strangler that chokes garden plants. tree →
• The police finally caught the strangler. tree →
• A strangler fig can leave a hollow tower of roots after the host tree dies. tree →
• Gardeners pull out stranglers like ivy and bindweed. tree →

Note

Countable: stranglers. Verb: strangle. Do not mix up "strangler" with "stranger" (a person you do not know). Safety: games that squeeze the neck are very dangerous.