crickets
Nocturnal leg musicians
Crickets are jumping insects known for the chirping sound males produce by rubbing their wings together.
The plural also serves as slang for silence or lack of response, especially awkward silence following a joke or announcement that falls flat: I asked if anyone had questions and got crickets.
The slang derives from the quiet of empty spaces where only insects can be heard.
Jointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- chirpShort, high avian sound
- stridulationFriction-produced insect sound
grasshopper · locust · compound eyes · ovipositor · molting · tympanum · mandible · hexapod
High repeated animal calls
- stridulationFriction-produced insect sound
- songMusical piece with words
- trillRapid pitch oscillation
- chirrupShort trilling bird sound
serenade · call · cadence · rhythm · frequency · oscillate · resonance · acoustic
Active during darkness
- twilightLight after sunset
- moonlightReflected solar radiance, nocturnal
- duskDimming after sundown
- campfireOutdoor fire for gathering
fireflies · summer · evening · starry · meadow · porch · countryside · darkness
Flying mammal or sports club
- ballSpherical plaything or gala
- wicketSmall subsidiary entrance
- pitchFrequency of sound
- bowlerPin-toppling player
batsman · innings · stumps · crease · boundary · umpire · test match · fielder
Lacking in sound
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
- tumbleweedsWind-driven dried plants
- dead airUnintended broadcast quiet
- no responseAbsence of reply
speechless · uncomfortable · pause · stillness · empty room · unresponsive · muted · deafening silence
arthropod
Jointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- chirpShort, high avian sound
stridulation · grasshopper · locust · compound eyes · ovipositor · molting · tympanum · mandible · hexapod · entomology
chirping
High repeated animal calls
- stridulationFriction-produced insect sound
- songMusical piece with words
- trillRapid pitch oscillation
chirrup · serenade · call · cadence · rhythm · frequency · oscillate · resonance · acoustic · hum
nocturnal
Active during darkness
campfire · fireflies · summer · evening · starry · meadow · porch · countryside · darkness · stillness
bat
Flying mammal or sports club
bowler · batsman · innings · stumps · crease · boundary · umpire · test match · fielder · century
quiet
Lacking in sound
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
- tumbleweedsWind-driven dried plants
- dead airUnintended broadcast quiet
no response · speechless · uncomfortable · pause · stillness · empty room · unresponsive · muted · deafening silence · audience
fishing
Catching aquatic creatures
- lureThing that tempts
- nightcrawlersLarge worms for bait
- wormsLimbless burrowing invertebrates
minnows · tackle · angling · hook · live bait · baitshop · casting · freshwater · panfish · bass
protein
Folded amino chain
- roastedCooked uncovered with heat
- friedCooked in hot fat
- sustainableAble to endure long-term
- insectsant, ants, bee, bees, butterfly
- Nightmoon, stars, moonlight, starlight, midnight
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- ambient soundsrain, wind, ocean, thunder rumble, birdsong
- dark forestshadows, gloom, moonlight, owls, wolves
- sound effectssound effects, sound effect, ringtone, boing, crash
cricketssilence
Total lack of sound
dead silence · quiet · stillness · hush · soundlessness
cricketsapplause
Collective hand-clapping approval
thunderous applause · cheers · uproar · standing ovation · wild applause
- cricket ballsLeather spheres for bowling
- cricket batWillow blade for hitting
- cricket fieldsSport venues with wickets
- cricket pitchCentral playing strip
- Jiminy Cricket
- cricket matchBat-and-ball sporting contest