rockhoppern.
/ˈrɒkˌhɒpə/, U.S. /ˈrɑkˌhɑpər/ 1. A small penguin, Eudyptes chrysocome, having a thin yellow crest, which breeds on subantarctic coastal cliffs which it ascends by hopping from rock to rock. More fully rockhopper penguin.
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1843 Rep. Royal Inst. Cornwall 1842 23 Skins of the King Penguin, Gentoo ditto, Macaroni ditto, Rock Hopper ditto, Jackass ditto, [etc.].
1875 J. H. Kidder Nat. Hist. Kerguelen Island i. 46 The whaler's epithet ‘rock-hopper’ is in this case particularly well applied, since they are the most agile of all penguins, skipping from rock to rock.
1875 J. H. Kidder Nat. Hist. Kerguelen Island i. 9 I discovered a lot of nests, near a rookery of ‘rock-hopper’ penguins.
1930 W. M. Mann Wild Animals in & out of Zoo xx. 235 A rock-hopper penguin..from southern New Zealand lived for one year and five months.
1994 New Scientist 23 Apr. 29/3 The Falklands' craggy coastlines are the world's largest breeding grounds for the gentoo and rockhopper penguins.
2004 T. Wheeler Falklands & S. Georgia 48 Rockhoppers breed in summer, laying two dimorphic eggs.
2. Australian colloquial. A person who fishes from coastal rocks.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fisher > [noun] > sea-fisher
sea-fisherman1865
sea-angler1893
sea-fisher1893
surfcaster1897
rockhopper1917
salt-chucker1958
1917 C. Thackeray Goliath Joe 74 Several rock-hoppers—users of long rods and landing nets—were clustered round the corner.
1949 Bulletin (Sydney) 28 Sept. 10/4 The ‘wirrah’, also known among rockhoppers as ‘old boots’..is tough... I dropped a four pounder into the basket.
1969 Man (Austral.) Mar. 12/2 Many rock-hoppers are experienced rock climbers, of a breed who, for sport, crawl like flies over the granite.
2001 Newcastle (Austral.) Herald (Nexis) 20 July 73 The forecast is for big seas over the weekend, so aspiring rockhoppers should take care if they are going to enter the hunt.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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