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

Example Sentences

By the 1970s, one-third of all pesticides applied in the United States were used to fight the boll weevil, according to the USDA.

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

A boll weevil monument in Enterprise pays tribute the agricultural pest that prompted the region’s shift from cotton to peanuts and other crops.

From Washington Times • Jul. 11, 2018

Zach said the farmers had planted and harvested their cotton early this year because of the boll weevil.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd