expression, godan verb (-su)
scatter in all directions
Idiomatic expression likening a crowd's sudden dispersal to baby spiders scattering. Often used for people fleeing or dispersing quickly.
警察が来ると、野次馬は蜘蛛の子を散らすように逃げていった。
When the police arrived, the onlookers scattered in all directions like baby spiders.
With the sudden rain, the people in the park began to scatter home like baby spiders.