blue-arsed fly

noun

1. informal,  a blowfly; bluebottle

2. informal,  in a state of frenzied activity

Example Sentences

Members of the public believe the blue-arsed fly was actually around much earlier.

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Dictionary buzz … Get in touch with OED if you know the earliest usage of 'blue-arsed fly'.

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The phrase's original entry in the OED, in 2005, saw its earliest usage attributed to Prince Philip, who told a photographer in 1970: "You have been running around like a blue-arsed fly."

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I am rather taken, meanwhile, with the effort being put into finding the first appearance of "blue-arsed fly".

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The OED is appealing for the public's help in tracing the history of English words and phrases Most of us are familiar with the meaning of "running around like a blue-arsed fly", but where exactly did this peculiar phrase come from?

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