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| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| Hessian fly | |
| —n | |
| a small dipterous fly, Mayetiola destructor, whose larvae damage wheat, barley, and rye: family Cecidomyidae (gall midges) | |
| [C18: so called because it was thought to have been introduced into America by Hessian soldiers] | |
Hessian fly
small fly in the gall midge family, Cecidomyiidae (order Diptera), that is very destructive to wheat crops. Though a native of Asia it was transported into Europe and later into North America, supposedly in the straw bedding of Hessian troops during the American Revolution (1775-83).
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