railroad worm

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noun

the larva of a fruit fly, Rhagoletis pomonella, that burrows through apples, forming tunnels that sometimes appear on the skin as faint depressions or darkened trails: a serious pest of apples in colder regions of North America.

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Also called apple maggot.

Origin of railroad worm

First recorded in 1905–10

Words nearby railroad worm

railroad, railroader, railroad flat, railroading, railroad pen, railroad worm, rail-splitter, railway, railwayman, raiment, Raimondi

How to use railroad worm in a sentence

It was from a former Railroad Commission employee who had gone to work for an oil and gas developer.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Railroad Commission employee drove him 80 miles to his home in Freer.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kocurek and Wright, who worked in different Railroad Commission districts, were fired within months of each other in 2013.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But two oil and gas inspectors for the Texas Railroad Commission may have done their jobs just a little too well.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He said he prefers to forget about his 18-month stint with the Railroad Commission.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At six o'clock I felt once more the welcome motion of a Railroad car, and at eight was in Venice.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Although everybody laughed at such a notion, the Worm-eating Warbler declared that he had a right to his own belief.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
It was no worm that Mrs. Robin had found, but Grandfather Mole's hairless tail sticking out of the ground.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
For Mrs. Robin had an end of a pinkish-white worm in her bill, on which she was tugging as hard as she could.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
The old stage-road from Dublin to Galway measures 133 miles, or nearly seven more than the Railroad.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley