remora

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 16, 2008 is: remora • \rih-MOR-uh\ • noun 1 : any of various marine fishes that have a suction disk on the head by means of which they cling especially to other fishes 2 : hindrance, drag Examples: Remoras feed on parasites culled from their host's skin and scraps from their host's meals. Did you know? Also known as "shark suckers" or "suckerfish," remoras are long, thin, dark fishes that are distributed throughout the world in warm seas. Ancient sailors believed remoras had the power to slow or even stop a ship by attaching themselves to it; the name "remora," which means "delay" in Latin, arose from this ancient superstition. The poor remora’s reputation isn’t much better today. Even though remoras don’t harm their hosts, they are popularly thought of as unwanted guests who get a free ride and a free meal by way of the efforts of others. It is therefore common to see "remora" used metaphorically in such contexts as "hungry paparazzi who attach themselves like remoras to celebrities." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.