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harlequin bug

American  

noun

  1. a black stink bug, Murgantia histrionica, having red and yellow markings, that feeds on cabbages and other cruciferous plants.

harlequin bug British  

noun

  1. a brightly coloured heteropterous insect, Murgantia histrionica, of the US and Central America: a pest of cabbages and related plants: family Pentatomidae

"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

Etymology

Origin of harlequin bug

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This is called the harlequin bug from its fantastic appearance.

From The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. by Shaw, Ellen Eddy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.