Definition of "grasshopper" A mostly herbivorous insect of the order Orthoptera , noted for its ability to jump long distances and for the habit of some species communicating by stridulation ; they are related to but distinct from crickets . quotations
Quotations Even in my happiest moments , while the grass was crowded with flowers beneath me —the sweet monotony of the running water in mine ear , only broken by the cheerful chant of the grasshopper the boughs of the chestnut , filled with sunshine , dazzling my eyes , till the golden air seemed thronged with lovely shapes ,—even then came pale and mournful shadows , whose white faces looked upon me pityingly .
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVI, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), page 168
(figuratively) A young student in initial stages of training who has been chosen on account of their obvious talent . quotations examples
Quotations Although we don 't know exactly why Li is chosen to dance , we witness a man assuring officials that the child isn 't from bourgeois stock . Phew . There are no known landowners in the family , so the grasshopper passes some cultural purity test , in a state often fixated on class warfare , driven by the cult of personality , and bullied by paranoia .
2009, B.P. Terpstra, Quadrant, November 2009, No. 461 (Volume LIII, Number 11), Quadrant Magazine Limited, page 2