flea-bitten

[ flee-bit-n ]

adjective

1. bitten by a flea or fleas.
2. infested with fleas.
3. shabby; dilapidated; wretched.
4. (of a horse) having a light-colored coat with small, dark spots or streaks.

flea-bitten

adjective

1. bitten by or infested with fleas
2. informal.
   shabby or decrepit; mean
3. (of the coat of a horse) having reddish-brown spots on a lighter background

Word History and Origins

Origin of flea-bitten¹

First recorded in 1560–70

Example Sentences

"I guess that's the best rabbit dog anywhere around here," he said, as a flea-bitten cur trotted past.

From Project Gutenberg

Tying his dejected, flea-bitten grey horse in a stall, he unbuckled his rusty spurs and hung them over the horn of his saddle.

From Project Gutenberg

I was flea-bitten, a mite sarcastic, and fundamentally hungry.

From Project Gutenberg

I found a pair of flea-bitten gray Flemish mares, weighing about twenty-eight hundred pounds.

From Project Gutenberg

A pick and fishing rod lay across the door sill and a lean, flea-bitten dog dozed at her feet.

From Project Gutenberg