hedgehop

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitiveinformalold-fashioned

   to fly an aircraft very low, close to trees, hills, or other obstacles

   Grammar: No object: the pilot hedgehops. You can also say 'hedgehop over something'.

   Patterns

   • hedgehop over something
   • hedgehop across something

   The pilot liked to hedgehop over the fields on quiet afternoons.

   In the old film, a small plane hedgehops between the hills.

2. 2verbintransitiverare

   to move quickly in short jumps, like a small animal through a hedge

   Grammar: No object; often used with 'through' or 'across'.

   Patterns

   • hedgehop through something
   • hedgehop across something

   The rabbits hedgehopped through the garden and disappeared.

   He hedgehopped across the stream without getting his feet wet.

Word forms

Common combinations

hedgehop over the trees

The plane hedgehopped over the trees and landed safely.

hedgehop across the valley

They hedgehopped across the valley in a tiny aircraft.

hedgehopping flight

It was a hedgehopping flight that scared the passengers.

Synonyms and how they differ

buzz

This is more common and informal for flying very low over a place, often annoyingly: 'a plane buzzed the beach'.

skim

This means to move lightly over a surface, not necessarily in an aircraft, and is less specific than 'hedgehop'.

Word family

hedgehopper noun

a person or aircraft that flies very low

Practice

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