A striped racer, also known as the California whipsnake, is a species of non-venomous snake native to the coast and foothills of California. It is a long, slender, and fast-moving snake, identified by its distinctive stripes running down the length of its body. They primarily feed on lizards and small rodents. The scientific name for this species is Masticophis lateralis.
Hara-kiri
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Suicide, by slashing the abdomen, formerly practiced in Japan,and commanded by the government in the cases of disgraced officials;disembowelment; -- also written, but incorrectly, hari-kari. W. E.Griffis.
Hara-kiri meaning & definition 1 of Hara-kiri.
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The traditional Japanese form of honorable suicide, also known by its Chinese equivalent, [seppuku]. It was practiced by the Japanese feudal warrior class in order to avoid falling into enemy hands. Around 1500, it became a privileged alternative to execution, granted to daimyo and [samurai] guilty of disloyalty to the emperor. The condemned man received a jeweled dagger from the emperor. He selected as his second a faithful friend, received official witnesses, and plunged the dagger into the left side of his abdomen, drew it across to the right, and made a slight cut upward; his second then beheaded him with one stroke of a sword, and the dagger was returned to the emperor. Around 1700, it became permissible to go through a semblance of disembowelment prior to beheading. Voluntary hara-kiri was resorted to after a private misfortune, out of loyalty to a dead master, or to protest the conduct of a living superior. 1
Obligatory hara-kiri was abolished in 1868, but its voluntary form has persisted. It was performed by 40 military men in 1895 as a protest against the return of conquered territory, the Liaotung peninsula, to China; by General Nogi on the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912; and by numerous soldiers as an alternative to surrender in World War II.Hara-kiri meaning & definition 2 of Hara-kiri.
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A suicidal move used in Mortl Kombat Deception when you lose to the computer/friends; japanese term because Midway would be in some deep trouble if they used the english version.
Hara-kiri meaning & definition 3 of Hara-kiri.
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(in Japan, especially in the past) a formal way of killing yourself by cutting open your stomach with a sword
Hara-kiri meaning & definition 4 of Hara-kiri.