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beggar's-lice

American  
[beg-erz-lahys] / ˈbɛg ərzˌlaɪs /
Also beggar-lice

noun

plural

beggar's-lice

  1. (used with a singular or plural verb) any of several plants, especially of the genera Cynoglossum and Hackelia, having small, prickly fruits that stick to clothing.

  2. (used with a plural verb) the fruits or seeds of such a plant.

beggar's-lice British  

noun

  1. any of several plants, esp the stickseed, having small prickly fruits that adhere to clothing, fur, etc

  2. the seed or fruit of any of these plants

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of beggar's-lice

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

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.