crop-dusting

American  

[krop-duhs-ting] / ˈkrɒpˌdʌs tɪŋ /

noun

1. the spraying of powdered fungicides or insecticides on crops, usually from an airplane.

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crop-dusting British  

noun

1. the spreading of fungicide, etc on crops in the form of dust, often from an aircraft

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Usage

What else does crop-dusting mean? In slang, crop-dusting is the act of moving while passing gas, usually silently, thereby “dusting” other people or an area with the gas.

Example Sentences

AeroDrone, which made crop-dusting drones prior to the war and now supplies Ukraine’s armed forces, makes unmanned aircraft that can carry up to 300 kilograms or fly up to several thousand kilometres in certain configurations.

From Reuters • Mar. 24, 2023

As Vail's research shows, many crop-dusting pilots and university agricultural scientists were well aware of how little they knew about how these new tools actually worked.

From Salon • Oct. 30, 2022

Trevithick says crop-dusting planes proved to be efficient and simple, given their original purpose as agricultural implements.

From Slate • Sep. 26, 2022

His father, Joseph Biden Sr., started a crop-dusting business, and after it flopped, cleaned boilers and sold cars.

From Washington Post • Jan. 12, 2021

Sometimes the ponds receive not only contaminated runoff but also a direct dose as crop-dusting pilots neglect to shut off the duster in passing over a pond.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson