daddy-longlegs

or dad·dy long·legs

[dad-ee-lawng-legz, -long-]

noun (used with a singular or plural verb)

Also called harvestman. any of numerous spiderlike arachnids of the order Opiliones, having a compact rounded body and extremely long, slender legs.

British. a crane fly.

Origin of daddy-longlegs

First recorded in 1805–15; daddy + long¹ + leg + -s³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for daddy-longlegs

Historical Examples of daddy-longlegs

"Oh, you haven't got to do anything," said the daddy-longlegs, with a chuckle.
The Other Side of the Sun
Evelyn Sharp
In Ireland "dapping" with the green drake or the daddy-longlegs is practised from boats on most of the big loughs.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1
Various
Among them are the male cricket and "daddy-longlegs," both of which are reported to have been seen in a phosphorescent condition.
Poachers and Poaching
John Watson

British Dictionary definitions for daddy-longlegs

daddy-longlegs

noun

British an informal name for a crane fly

Australian, US and Canadian an informal name for harvestman (def. 2)

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