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spittlebug

American

[spit-l-buhg] / ˈspɪt lˌbʌg /

noun

the nymph of the froghopper, which surrounds itself with a frothy mass.

Etymology

Origin of spittlebug

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; spittle + bug ¹

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.