snipe fly

British

noun

any of various predatory dipterous flies of the family Leptidae (or Rhagionidae ), such as Rhagio scolopacea of Europe, having an elongated body and long legs

"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 snipe fly

named after the snipe because its flight resembles that of the bird

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.

Yet during my last visit to Corson’s Brook Woods, I was wowed by a golden-backed snipe fly’s all-black outfit, with its lavish gold midsection and smoky wing venation.

From New York Times

Clockwise from top left: Zabulon skipper butterfly; long-legged fly; orb weaver spider, waved light fly, golden-backed snipe fly; mating craneflies.

From New York Times

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