devil's darning needle

American  

noun

Chiefly Northern and Western U.S.

1. a dragonfly.

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devil's darning needle British  

noun

1. a popular name for a dragonfly

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Regionalisms

See dragonfly.

Etymology

Origin of devil's darning needle

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Yankees in some parts of New England call it a devil's darning needle, while some Southern Coast people go for mosquito hawk, and the Pennsylvania-Dutch merely turn the Old Country name for it into English: snake waiter.

From Time Magazine Archive

The strain was between the Devil's Darning Needle and our boat, the Watersprite, which was making capital play, for although we had not the bottom of the topmen, yet we had more blood, so to speak, and we had already beaten them, in their last gig, all to sticks.

From Project Gutenberg

Mother, how does the devil's darning needle sleep?

From Project Gutenberg

Presently the Devil's Darning Needle, as the Scotch part of the crew loved to call the Dragonfly, stuck her long snout round the headland, and came spinning along with a Spanish canoe manned by four negroes, and steered by an elderly gentleman, a sharp acute—looking little man, in a gingham coat, in her wake, also pulling very fast; however, the Don seemed dead beat, and the captain was in great glee.

From Project Gutenberg

We soon distanced the cumbrous looking Don, and the strain was between the Devil's Darning Needle and our boat the Watersprite, which was making capital play, for although we had not the bottom of the topmen, yet we had more blood, so to speak, and we had already beaten them, in their last gig, all to sticks.

From Project Gutenberg