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jackrabbit

(Encyclopedia) jackrabbit, popular name for several hares of W North America, characterized by very long legs and ears. Jackrabbits are powerful jumpers and fast runners. In normal progress leaps are…

loess

(Encyclopedia) loessloesslĕs, lōˈəs, Ger. lös [key], unstratified soil deposit of varying thickness, usually yellowish and composed of fine-grained angular mineral particles mixed with clay. It is…

paddlefish

(Encyclopedia) paddlefish, large freshwater fish, Polyodon spathula, of the Mississippi valley, also called spoonbill or duckbill and named for its flattened, paddle-shaped snout. The largest…

Winnibigoshish, Lake

(Encyclopedia) Winnibigoshish, LakeWinnibigoshish, Lakewĭnˌĭbĭgōˈshĭsh [key], 179 sq mi (464 sq km), N central Minn., in Chippewa National Forest, E of Bemidji. The outlet of the lake, one of the…

Granite City

(Encyclopedia) Granite City, city (2020 pop. 27,549), Madison co., SW Ill., an industrial suburb of East St. Louis, on the Mississippi; inc. 1896. It…

tall tale

(Encyclopedia) tall tale, extravagantly and humorously exaggerated story of the backwoods exploits of an American frontiersman. Originating in the 1820s, the genre remained popular well into the 20th…

snapping turtle

(Encyclopedia) snapping turtle, large, aggressive New World freshwater turtle. The two snapping turtle species are the sole members of the family Chelydridae. Snapping turtles prefer quiet, muddy…

pontoon

(Encyclopedia) pontoon, one of a number of floats used chiefly to support a bridge, to raise a sunken ship, or to float a hydroplane or a floating dock. Pontoons have been built of wood, of hides…

Haldimand, Sir Frederick

(Encyclopedia) Haldimand, Sir FrederickHaldimand, Sir Frederickhôlˈdĭmənd [key], 1718–91, British general and colonial governor of Quebec, b. Neuchâtel canton, Switzerland. A soldier of fortune in…

Foote, Andrew Hull

(Encyclopedia) Foote, Andrew HullFoote, Andrew Hullf&oobreve;t [key], 1806–63, American naval officer, b. New Haven, Conn.; son of Samuel Augustus Foot. He became a midshipman in 1822. As…