Mormon cricket

Definition

A large dark wingless katydid, Anabrus simplex, that resembles a cricket and is found in the arid parts of the western U.S. where it is occasionally an abundant pest of crops.

Etymology

Of Mormon + cricket, attested from the late 19th century. Associated with the Mormon settlers due to the miracle of the gulls.

Example Sentences

• "In the figure 55 is shown a “wingless cricket,” of the subfamily Decticinæ of authors. This group contains many very queer looking creatures, and also some that occasionally increase in such numbers as to become pests. Our large “Mormon cricket,” the one shown in the illustration, is an example of the latter kind."
• "Mountain crickets. (Anabrus simplex) —This large, black, wingless grasshopper, commonly called “Mormon Cricket,” “Idaho Cricket,” and “Mountain Cricket,” has been on the increase for some years past in Routt county, and the past year was a serious and formidable pest in portions of that country where cultivated crops are grown."