sidewinding

Snake's desert locomotion

Sidewinding describes a distinctive lateral movement where progress is made by moving diagonally or obliquely rather than straight ahead.

The term comes from the sidewinder rattlesnake, which travels across desert sand by throwing its body in a series of S-shaped curves, leaving J-shaped tracks.

Beyond the literal serpentine motion, sidewinding can characterize indirect or evasive behavior: His sidewinding approach to the topic made it hard to pin him down.

snake

rattlesnake

Viper with segmented tail noisemaker

viperFanged toxic serpent
scalesPlates or weighing devices
fangsSharp piercing teeth

venomous · slithering · reptile · serpentine · cold-blooded · hiss · pit viper · herpetology · ectothermic · squamata

locomotion

slithering

Smooth limbless locomotion

undulatingMoving in waves
serpentineCurving in repeated bends
S-curveTwo opposing consecutive bends

traction · lateral movement · wriggling · coiling · propulsion · body waves · friction · gliding · creeping · sinuous

desert

sand

Fine rock particles

dunesWind-formed sand ridges
aridDevoid of water
scorchingExtremely hot, burning

sunbaked · Mojave · Sonoran · Sahara · Namib · oasis · heat · nocturnal · burrow · sandy

evasive

indirect

Not straight or immediate

elusiveHard to find
shiftySeeming dishonest or evasive
obliqueAngled, not straightforward

roundabout · dodgy · slippery · cunning · circuitous · nonlinear · tangential · sly · meandering · devious

Categories

locomotionwalking, running, crawling, swimming, flying
snake movementsslithering, slither, coil, coiling, undulate
sideways movementsidestep, sidle, lateral shuffle, lateral movement, slide
reptileslizard, snake, turtle, crocodile, alligator
animal behaviorsswimming, running, walking, jumping, flying

Opposites

locomotion direction

sidewindinglinear progression

Movement in one direction only

path directness

sidewindingstraight

Not curved or crooked

direct · linear · beeline · straight-line · straightforward

behavioral honesty

sidewindingstraightforward

Clear and uncomplicated

direct · forthright · honest · aboveboard · upfront

Family

wind, side, beside, winding, aside, unwind, sideways, countryside, sidekick

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G