herp
n.— «Yet another informal grade name, favoured by American zoologists, is “herp.” Herpetology is the study of reptiles (except birds) and amphibians. “Herp” is a rare kind of word: an abbreviation for which there is no long form. A herp is simply the kind of animal studied by a herpetologist, and that is a pretty lame way to define an animal. The only other name that comes close is the biblical “creeping thing.”» —by Richard Dawkins The Ancestor’s Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution , 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...
There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and...