Nutcracker

/ˈnʌtˌkrækər/ noun

Definition

a tool with two levers used to crack open hard nut shells, or a type of small bird from the crow family.

Etymology

Compound of 'nut' (from Old English 'hnutu') and 'cracker' (from 'crack,' Old English 'cracian,' meaning to break). The compound has meant the tool since at least the 1500s; the bird species was named for its nut-cracking behavior.

Kelly Says

The Nutcracker bird's brain is proportionally larger than most birds because it needs to remember thousands of hiding spots where it buried pine seeds—their spatial memory is so legendary that scientists study their brains to understand animal memory.

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