bluebottle

[ bloo-bot-l ]

/ ˈbluˌbɒt l /

noun

cornflower(def 1).

a composite plant, Centaurea cyanus, having narrow leaves and blue flower heads.

bluebottle fly.

Australian. Portuguese man-of-war.

Nearby words

Origin of bluebottle

First recorded in 1545–55; blue + bottle¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bluebottle

I put the bluebottle's eggs to hatch on a piece of meat and leave the worms to do their work as they please.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre
Irish Manservant (who has been requested by a guest to procure him a bluebottle for fishing purposes—returning from his quest).
Mr. Punch's Irish Humour|Charles Keene, Various
The office was very still, except for two bluebottle flies butting against the ceiling and buzzing up and down the window-panes.
Life at High Tide|Various
I next place in the cage a bluebottle, one only, to avoid confusion.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre

Now the driver of the Van Wyk vehicle is about as unlike Swartboy as a bear to a bluebottle.
The Young Yagers|Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for bluebottle

bluebottle

/ (ˈbluːˌbɒtəl) /

noun

another name for the blowfly

any of various blue-flowered plants, esp the cornflower

British an informal word for a policeman

Australian and NZ an informal name for Portuguese man-of-war

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