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daddy-longlegs

or dad·dy long·legs

[dad-ee-lawng-legz, -long-]
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noun (used with a singular or plural verb)
  1. Also called harvestman. any of numerous spiderlike arachnids of the order Opiliones, having a compact rounded body and extremely long, slender legs.
  2. British. a crane fly.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for daddy-longlegs

Historical Examples

  • "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.

  • Among them are the male cricket and "daddy-longlegs," both of which are reported to have been seen in a phosphorescent condition.

British Dictionary definitions for daddy-longlegs

daddy-longlegs

noun
  1. British an informal name for a crane fly
  2. Australian, US and Canadian an informal name for harvestman (def. 2)
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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