cuckoo-spit

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

noun

1. 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.

2. an insect that produces this secretion.

cuckoo spit

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cuckoo spit¹

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

Example Sentences

“Now listen carefully, my son. We have a very sick rat inside that church. He is in urgent need of my special remedies. I want you to run as quickly as you can back to our den. Bring me back some snakewort, cuckoo spit, a medium eelskin, three fine strips of willow bark...oh, there’s so much to remember, I’d better write it all down for you.”

From Literature

The frothy spittle, sometimes called cuckoo spit, is actually a telltale sign that an insect known as the spittlebug is feeding on a plant.

From BBC

It is sometimes called cuckoo spit because, like the call of the cuckoo, it is a sign of spring.

From New York Times

This is also a good wash for Cuckoo Spit or Frog-Fly.—This frothy substance if washed off will be found to contain a yellow creature, often closely wedged into the angle of leaf and shoot, or at the base of a flower bud.

From Project Gutenberg

Cuckoo spit: liquid in the form of bubbles produced by members of the family Cercopidae and which often conceals the producer.

From Project Gutenberg