Etymology From grass + eater; applied to bribe-accepting polics by the Knapp Commission in the 1970s.
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An organism notable for eating grass
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A fish of species Distichodus rostratus or Distichodus engycephalus, of Africa
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Figuratively A police officer who accepts offered bribes but does not actively seek them out.
But why do police become grass-eaters at all, if they lack the greed and contempt fo decency necessary to become meat-eaters?2002, Edwin J. Delattre, Character and Cops: Ethics in Policing, American Enterprise Institute, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 79:
It was the grass-eaters, the commission found, that made corruption respectable within the organization, encouraging a code of silence among officers.2012, Lee P. Brown, Policing in the 21st Century: Community Policing, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 50:
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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.2016 September 13, Regoli, John D. Hewitt, Anna E. Kosloski, Exploring Criminal Justice, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 113:
grass-eater
noun
Etymology Calque of Japanese 草食系男子 (sōshokukei danshi, “herbivorous/grass-eating male”).
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Derogatory, Slang A celibate man, especially a Japanese man, who eschews dating and sexual relationships.
That is what the modern men of Japan have done, these grass-eaters.2011 March 17, Paul Mceuen, Spiral, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
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 July 1, Genaro Castro-Vazquez, Intimacy and Reproduction in Contemporary Japan (Routledge Research on Gender in Asia Series), Routledge, →ISBN, page 62:
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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.2016 November 14, Kittredge Cherry, Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women, Stone Bridge Press, →ISBN, →OCLC: