bluebottle fly

noun

1. any of several iridescent blue blow flies, especially those of the genus Calliphora, some of which are parasitic on domestic animals.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bluebottle fly¹

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

Instead there's crumpled napkins, unclaimed pens, forgotten umbrellas, a half-empty Coke bottle and a solitary bluebottle fly out of a Raymond Chandler novel.

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Instead there’s crumpled napkins, unclaimed pens, forgotten umbrellas, a half-empty Coke bottle and a solitary bluebottle fly out of a Raymond Chandler novel.

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A hairy bluebottle fly named Cynomya mortuorum, for instance, can be found hunting for carrion across northern Europe and Asia.

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The flies are also widely distributed - one of their more commonly recognized representatives is the bluebottle fly - so the method could be used throughout much of the world.

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With a physical meaning of soft to the touch, the word is used substantively of the maggot of the bluebottle fly, used as a bait by fishermen.

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