daddy long-legs
Spindly harvest creature
Daddy long-legs refers to different creatures depending on region.
In North America, it typically means a harvestman—a spider-like arachnid with a small round body and extremely long, thin legs.
In Britain, it usually means a crane fly, a gangly flying insect that resembles an oversized mosquito.
Some also apply the name to cellar spiders.
The spelling varies: daddy longlegs, daddy-long-legs.
Traditional explanatory tale
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- misnomerIncorrectly applied designation
- misidentificationWrongly recognizing something
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
Web-spinning arachnid
- harvestmanLong-legged arachnid, not spider
- cellarUnderground storage room
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
invertebrate · predator · insectivore · web · silk · molt · nocturnal · segmented
Awkwardly tall and thin
- spindleRotating rod for thread
- slenderThin and graceful
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
- threadlikeResembling thin strands
willowy · leggy · spidery · delicate · wispy · twiggy · fragile · gossamer
Producing no poison
- gentleSoft and kind
- benignNot harmful or threatening
- inoffensiveCausing no displeasure
- docileEasily controlled or taught
safe · unthreatening · innocuous · peaceful · mild · friendly · nonthreatening · beneficial
myth
Traditional explanatory tale
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- misnomerIncorrectly applied designation
- misidentificationWrongly recognizing something
childhood · superstition · nickname · colloquial · exaggerated
spider
Web-spinning arachnid
- harvestmanLong-legged arachnid, not spider
- cellarUnderground storage room
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
exoskeleton · invertebrate · predator · insectivore · web · silk · molt · nocturnal · segmented · carnivore
gangly
Awkwardly tall and thin
threadlike · willowy · leggy · spidery · delicate · wispy · twiggy · fragile · gossamer · stilted
nonvenomous
Producing no poison
- gentleSoft and kind
- benignNot harmful or threatening
- inoffensiveCausing no displeasure
docile · safe · unthreatening · innocuous · peaceful · mild · friendly · nonthreatening · beneficial · pest-control
daddy long-legsblack widow
Lethal spider species
brown recluse · scorpion · funnel-web spider · tarantula · centipede
daddy long-legswolf spider
Ground-hunting arachnid family
jumping spider · tarantula · black widow · spider · house spider
daddy, dads, daddies, long, longer, longest, length, lengthen, lengthy