grass-eater

See also: grasseater

English

Etymology 1

From grass +‎ eater; applied to bribe-accepting polics by the Knapp Commission in the 1970s.

Noun

grass-eater (plural grass-eaters)

1. An organism notable for eating grass
   1. A fish of species Distichodus rostratus or Distichodus engycephalus, of Africa
2. (figurative) A police officer who accepts offered bribes but does not actively seek them out.

   Alternative form: grasseater

   Coordinate term: meat-eater

   • 2002, Edwin J. Delattre, Character and Cops: Ethics in Policing‎^[1], American Enterprise Institute, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 79:

     But why do police become grass-eaters at all, if they lack the greed and contempt fo decency necessary to become meat-eaters?

   • 2012, Lee P. Brown, Policing in the 21st Century: Community Policing‎^[2], AuthorHouse, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 50:

     It was the grass-eaters, the commission found, that made corruption respectable within the organization, encouraging a code of silence among officers.

   • 2016 September 13, Regoli, John D. Hewitt, Anna E. Kosloski, Exploring Criminal Justice‎^[3], Jones & Bartlett Publishers, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 113:

     Grass-eaters constituted the majority of police officers who were corrupt; meat-eaters were rare. But meat-eaters are more dangerous. They aggressively misuse their police powers for personal gain.

Etymology 2

Calque of Japanese 草食系男子 (sōshokukei danshi, “herbivorous/grass-eating male”).

Noun

grass-eater (plural grass-eaters)

1. (derogatory, slang) A celibate man, especially a Japanese man, who eschews dating and sexual relationships.

   Synonym: herbivore man

   • 2011 March 17, Paul Mceuen, Spiral‎^[4], Hachette UK, →ISBN:

     That is what the modern men of Japan have done, these grass-eaters.

   • 2016 July 1, Genaro Castro-Vazquez, Intimacy and Reproduction in Contemporary Japan (Routledge Research on Gender in Asia Series)‎^[5], Routledge, →ISBN, page 62:

     The grass-eaters fail to maintain a 'manly' appearance, snared instead by the world of cosmetics and fashion which makes them look soft, 'fragile and girlie' ( […] ).

   • 2016 November 14, Kittredge Cherry, Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women‎^[6], Stone Bridge Press, →ISBN, →OCLC:

     She dubbed them “herbivore men” (shoshoku danshi) in a 2006 article, and the phrase caught on as the nation took note of the gentle grass-eaters. Their lesser-known counterparts are the “carnivore women” (nikushoku joshi) who take the initiative in life and love.