Bird-louse
See under louse (def 2).
any small, wingless insect of the order Anoplura (sucking louse) parasitic on humans and other mammals and having mouthparts adapted for sucking, as Pediculus humanus (body louse or head louse) and Phthirius pubis (crab louse or pubic louse)
any insect of the order Mallophaga (bird louse, biting louse, or chewing louse) parasitic on birds and mammals, having mouthparts adapted for biting.
plant louse.
Slang. a contemptible person, especially an unethical one.
to delouse.
louse up, Slang. to spoil; botch:
Miscasting loused up the movie.
Historical Examples
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4) William Kirby
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4) William Kirby
noun (pl) lice (laɪs)
any wingless bloodsucking insect of the order Anoplura: includes Pediculus capitis (head louse), Pediculus corporis (body louse), and the crab louse, all of which infest man related adjective pedicular
biting louse, bird louse, any wingless insect of the order Mallophaga, such as the chicken louse: external parasites of birds and mammals with biting mouthparts
any of various similar but unrelated insects, such as the plant louse and book louse
(slang) (pl) louses. an unpleasant or mean person
verb (transitive)
to remove lice from
(foll by up) (slang) to ruin or spoil
n.
Read Also:
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a sticky material prepared from holly, mistletoe, or other plants, and smeared on twigs to catch small birds that light on it. to smear with birdlime. to catch or capture, as with birdlime: to be birdlimed by flattery. Historical Examples Discoveries Made Upon Men and Matter Ben Jonson David and the Phoenix Edward Ormondroyd Santal […]
- Birdman
an ornithologist. a bird watcher. a person who keeps or tends birds. a person who hunts birds for food or sport; fowler. Informal. aviator. Contemporary Examples Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison Daniel Genis June 20, 2014 Brad Pitt and Louis C.K. Go ‘Between Two Ferns’ Alex Chancey, The […]
- Bird-s-mouth
a right-angled notch cut in the underside of a rafter for fitting over a longitudinal member, as a wall plate.
- Bird-s--nest
nest (def 1). Angling. backlash (def 4).
- Bird-s-nest-fern
a tropical fern, Asplenium nidus, having fronds arranged in clumps resembling a bird’s nest.