the.com/copperhead
the snake that bites first and warns never, polite as a closing trapdoor
means A venomous North American pit viper (Agkistrodon contortrix) with a coppery-brown head and hourglass-banded body, known for striking without the courtesy of a rattle.
from A plain English compound — "copper" (the metal, via Latin cuprum, from aes Cyprium, "Cyprus metal," the island Rome mined it from) plus "head," naming the snake for its burnished coppery crown. The name later slithered into politics: during the American Civil War, Northerners who opposed the war were branded "Copperheads," a slur likening them to the snake that strikes silently — though some defiantly wore copper Liberty-head pennies in answer.
- venom rank
- mildest pit viper bite, rarely fatal to humans
- freeze response
- holds still instead of fleeing, so people step closer
- baby trick
- yellow-tipped tails lure frogs within striking range
- venom upside
- contortrostatin protein studied for stopping cancer spread
- name twin
- also branded Northern Civil War Confederacy sympathizers
copperhead snake — venomous pit viper native to eastern and central united states, causes more bites than any other us snake
operation copperhead — 1944 world war ii deception campaign using a patton double to mislead nazis about d-day invasion plans
copperhead road — 1989 steve earle song about an appalachian moonshiner on a specific road in tennessee