nutcracker

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a tool with two hinged arms or another lever mechanism used to crack nutshells

   She used a nutcracker to open the walnuts without crushing them.

2. 2
   noun

   a strong-billed bird of the crow family, especially one of the genus Nucifraga, that feeds on nuts and seeds

   A spotted nutcracker carried a pine seed away from the forest clearing.

A transparent compound of nut + cracker. The tool is named for cracking nutshells; the bird received the same name because its powerful bill opens nuts and hard seeds.

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