gadfly
pronunciation
How to pronounce gadfly in British English:
UK [ˈgædflaɪ]
How to pronounce gadfly in American English:
US [ˈɡædˌflaɪ]
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- Noun:
- a persistently annoying person
- any of various large flies that annoy livestock
Word Origin
- gadfly
- gadfly: see yard
- gadfly (n.)
- also gad-fly, 1620s, "fly which bites cattle," probably from gad (n.) "goad, metal rod," here in the sense of "stinger;" but the sense is entangled with gad (v.) "rove about" (on the notion, perhaps, of the insect's power of flight or of the restlessness of animals plagued by them), and another early meaning of gadfly was "someone who likes to go about, often stopping here and there" (1610s). Sense of "one who irritates another" is from 1640s (equivalent of Latin oestrus; see estrus). "In strictness, only the females are gadflies, the males being smaller and quite inoffensive, living on juices of plants" [Century Dictionary]. Earlier bot-fly, from bot "skin parasite" (late 15c.).
Example
- 1. One guy said he 'd like to be a gadfly , like socrates .
- 2. Gemma thought gadfly was arthur , but she could not make sure .
- 3. A gadfly blog , sarcastically titled ministry of truth , has begun to puncture the veil surrounding censorship , anonymously posting secret government directives leaked by free-speech sympathizers .
- 4. The gadfly insisted that the work should be finished by the middle of june .
- 5. First amendment center : " ed was a modern-day gadfly , albeit one who wore wide-rimmed glasses that allowed him to see things that many of the rest of us could not . "