horse fly

noun

any bloodsucking, usually large fly of the family Tabanidae, especially of the genus Tabanus, a serious pest of horses, cattle, etc.

1350–1400; Middle English horsfleeye

But I was just fortunate enough to capture the most perfect specimen I have ever seen of a green horse-fly.

No, its not a snake; it is a most perfect specimen of a horse-fly.

Finding that she did not yet comprehend him, he exclaimed: "Why, girl, did you never see a horse-fly?"

The head of the horse fly appears to be all eyes, and it is no wonder that we can so seldom take it by surprise.

In a preceding chapter Schwatka reports that one of his party, bitten by a horse fly, was completely disabled for a week.

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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