leatherjacket

UK: /ˈlɛðəˌdʒækɪt/ US: (leᵺ′ər jak′it)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

leath•er•jack•et  (leᵺ′ər jak′it), n. 

1. Fish Also called leath′er jack′. any of several carangid fishes having narrow, linear scales embedded in the skin at various angles, esp. Oligoplites saurus, found in tropical American waters.
2. British Terms, Food [Australian.] a pancake or other dough fried over a campfire.
3. Insects the grub of the crane fly.

• leather + jacket 1760–70

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

leatherjacket / ˈlɛðəˌdʒækɪt/ noun

1. any of various tropical carangid fishes of the genera Oligoplites and Scomberoides, having a leathery skin
2. the greyish-brown tough-skinned larva of certain craneflies, esp of the genus Tipula, which destroy the roots of grasses, etc