mossback

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moss·back

(môs′băk′, mŏs′-)

1. Informal An extremely conservative or old-fashioned person.

a. An old sluggish fish.

b. An old turtle with a growth of algae on its back.

moss′backed′ adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mossback

(ˈmɒsˌbæk)

1. (Zoology) an old turtle, shellfish, etc, that has a growth of algae on its back

2. informal a provincial or conservative person

ˈmossˌbacked adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

moss•back

(ˈmɔsˌbæk, ˈmɒs-)

n.

1. Informal. a person holding very antiquated notions; reactionary.

2. an old turtle.

3. a large and old fish, as a bass.

[1870–75, Amer.]

moss′backed`, adj.

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Noun

mossback - an extremely old-fashioned conservative

conservative, conservativist - a person who is reluctant to accept changes and new ideas

mossback

noun

1. A person who vehemently, often fanatically opposes progress and favors return to a previous condition:

die-hard, reactionary, ultraconservative.

2. An old-fashioned person who is reluctant to change or innovate:

fogy, fossil, fuddy-duddy.

Informal: stick-in-the-mud.

Slang: square.

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References in periodicals archive ?

Since the 1930s, legal education has imbued students with contempt for the Supreme Court justices of the early 20th century, who are depicted as mossbacks resisting the progress represented by New Deal legislation.

Taking back the Fifth

Mossback Volkssport Club: Easy 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) or 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) routes in Eugene, walk on wide paved paths along the Willamette River, past some residential areas, then along improved gravel/bark trails to explore a variety of wildlife at Delta Ponds.

Briefly

Mossback Volkssport Club: Moderate 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) and 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) routes in Toledo, walk along the river's edge and the hills overlooking the Yaquina River and observe the 24-hour operations of the Georgia-Pacific Mill, then check out the Yaquina-Pacific Railroad Historic Museum.

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Mossback Volkssport Club: Moderate to difficult 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) and 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) routes in Yachats, walk along the ocean front and through a hillside forest then walk the south end of 804 and the Oregon Coast trails to Amanda's Statue.

Briefly

For more information, call 541-343-7893 or visit www.altairsports.org Mossback Volkssport Club: Easy 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) or moderate 11-kilometer (6.8-mile) route in Eugene, walk on wide paved paths along the Willamette River and on parts of Pre's Trail past ponds, gardens and Autzen Stadium then after crossing the Willamette River walk through Oregon campus, then up the trail into Hendricks Park Rhodie Gardens.

Briefly

TUESDAY Mossback Volkssport Club: Moderate 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) and 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) routes in Depoe Bay, walk along the ocean front, then wander along a new forested trail that wends its way around the world's smallest harbor and across a small bluff with lovely houses.