Dictionary

turtleish en · ADJ

Etymology

From turtle + -ish. Piecewise doublet of turtlesque.

Meanings

1. Resembling or reminiscent of turtles.
   • Paleontologists believe that the evolutionary link between the ancient cotylosaur, the stem reptile from which all reptiles originated, and the present-day turtle may be Eunotosaurus africanus. The 250-million-year-old bones of this turtleish creature are so poorly preserved that scientists cannot determine if Eunotosauruss skull lacks openings for the ear, as do the skulls of present-day turtles, and there is no trace of a lower shell. 1996, Lisa Knopp, Field of Vision, Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, page 62:
   • Imagining the Negro as filth, his mouth as symbolizing the female genital, it is worth remarking how many correspondences relate those thoughts to the poem about the mud turtle (a creature of chiefly Southern associations anyhow, like that turtleish-looking white TV editorialist in Virginia, who L said was called The Mouth of the South). 1965, Howard Nemeroc, Journal of the Fictive Life, Rutgers University Press, page 167:
   • I gave her a shy glance and suddenly realized that her hooked nose was less birdlike than it was turtleish. Her eyes had a reptilian coldness about them as well. 2011, Michelle Dalton, Sixteenth Summer, Simon Pulse, page 204:
2. Resembling or reminiscent of turtles. ▸ Slow
   • Advanced burlesque, even, wouldn't have him for a house manager; why should the very real business of photodrama tolerate his turtleish inefficiency? 1915 November 14, ““CLOSE-UPS””, in Photoplay Magazine, volume 8, number 6, page 51:
   • MK is a retarded series that attracts kids with gallons of blood and scrubby gameplay. You don't see Japanese gamers playing MK alot (I believe). KI is fun for a bit due to a completely fresh fighting system but loses its appeal quickly due to turtleish gameplay. 1998 June 15, KaiserTuk, “poll”, in alt.games.sf2 (Usenet):
   • Servings are a good size and the food tastes about as close to homecooked as you'll find in C.H. Service is turtleish and there's often a crowd, but it’s worth the wait. 1975, The Franklin Street Gourmet, Chapel Hill, N.C: SCAU, page 3:

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