boll weevil

American  

noun

1. a snout beetle, Anthonomus grandis, that attacks the bolls of cotton.

2. Informal. (especially in the U.S. Congress) a Southern Democrat with conservative views who often votes with the Republicans as part of a Southern or conservative power bloc.

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boll weevil British  

noun

1. a greyish weevil, Anthonomus grandis , of the southern US and Mexico, whose larvae live in and destroy cotton bolls See also weevil

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Etymology

Origin of boll weevil

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boll weevil

With the boll weevil finishing off King Cotton, paper producers’ “plant ’em thick, cut ’em quick” approach spread.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Dodson has seen his yields double since the program started and the eradication of the boll weevil has been fruitful for the state’s wider economy.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 7, 2022

So the migration is as much about work and the boll weevil as it is about this notion of opportunity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2022

The cotton boll weevil is considered a major pest because of the damage it does to cotton plants.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 6, 2018

Before that year, only limited use had been made of organic insecticides for the control of the boll weevil.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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