cuckoo-spit

[ koo-koo-spit, kook-oo- ]

/ ˈku kuˌspɪt, ˈkʊk u- /

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noun

Also called frog spit. a frothy secretion found on plants, exuded by the young of certain insects, as the froghoppers, and serving as a protective covering.

an insect that produces this secretion.

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Origin of cuckoo-spit

1350–1400; Middle English cokkowespitle cuckoopint; so called from the spitlike secretion found on the plant and thought to be left by the bird

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cuckoo-spit in a sentence

Qatar is just a little spit of land that looks like a polyp on edge of Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Ally Qatar Shelters Jihadi Moneymen|Jamie Dettmer|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So he and his partner, Zack Simpson, did what they do so well: started spit-balling some game theory around politics.
How to Fight Corruption With Game Theory|Mark McKinnon|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I breathed sloppily through my mouth, hung my head between my legs, and spit every so often.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We still have a long way to go, but it has improved dramatically since the post Vietnam syndrome when Vets were spit on.
McCain’s 13 Favorite Soldiers|Sandra McElwaine|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Forgive my candor, though such is my wont, but much like that moose on a spit, Bernie is dead.
How the Lame Democrats Blew It|Goldie Taylor|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many gallants 'took' their tobacco in the lords room over the stage, and went out to (Saint) Paul's to spit there privately.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
When used by gentlemen it was common to carry a silver basin to spit in.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Among the variety of birds, several black cockatoos and the pheasant cuckoo were seen.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
A lovely bracket of carved wood fixed to the wall held a cheap cuckoo-clock from Switzerland.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
They are permitted to throw the leavings of their food and spit where they like, sit how they like and smoke everywhere.
Third class in Indian railways|Mahatma Gandhi

British Dictionary definitions for cuckoo-spit

cuckoo spit

noun

a white frothy mass on the stems and leaves of many plants, produced by froghopper larvae (cuckoo spit insects) which feed on the plant juicesAlso called: frog spit

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