fly agaric

American  

noun

1. a very poisonous common woodland mushroom, Amanita muscaria, having a glossy red or orange cap with white spots, formerly a fly poison.

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fly agaric British  

noun

1. a saprotrophic agaricaceous woodland fungus, Amanita muscaria , having a scarlet cap with white warts and white gills: poisonous but rarely fatal See also amanita

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Etymology

Origin of fly agaric

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

“Where there wasn’t enough fly agaric, they wouldn’t let pee go to waste,” said Vishnevsky.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2025

But the mycologist believes our relationship with fly agaric goes back further still, all the way to the ancient roots of religion itself.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2025

In winter, keep an eye out for red and white-speckled fly agaric mushrooms or the booted knight mushroom.

From The Guardian • May 25, 2018

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "There are several hundred fungi species in the palace garden, including a small number of naturally occurring fly agaric mushrooms."

From Reuters • Dec. 12, 2014

Poisonous.—This plant in some places is popularly known as the fly agaric, since infusions of it are used as a fly poison.

From Studies of American Fungi. Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc. by Atkinson, George Francis