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 Beard, Lina
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 Lewis, Sinclair
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 Beard, Lina
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.
