no-see-um
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of no-see-um
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; from the broken English phrase (You) don't see 'em, supposedly used by American Indians
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.
Night and day are the same to the no-see-um; its warfare is continuous and its bite very annoying, but it disappears with the black-fly in July or August.
From On the Trail An Outdoor Book for Girls by Lina Beard
There is another pest of the North Woods which the guides call the no-see-um.
From On the Trail An Outdoor Book for Girls by Lina Beard
Seattle is bad enough—it's so big that I feel like a no-see-um in a Norway pine reserve.
From Free Air by Sinclair Lewis
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.
