Spanish fly

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See synonyms for Spanish fly on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called cantharides. a preparation of powdered blister beetles, especially the Spanish fly, used medicinally as a counterirritant, diuretic, and aphrodisiac.

Also Span·ish·fly .Also called cantharis. a common European blister beetle, Cantharis (Lytta) vesicatoria, that yields this preparation.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of Spanish fly

First recorded in 1400–50; so called from the fact that the beetles are found in abundance in Spain

Words nearby Spanish fly

Spanish cedar, Spanish Civil War, Spanish customs, Spanish dagger, Spanish flu, Spanish fly, Spanish foot, Spanish Guinea, Spanish guitar, Spanish heel, Spanish Inquisition

How to use Spanish fly in a sentence

In cases where the growth of horn seems too slow a Spanish-fly blister applied to the heels is often followed by good results.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture
In India also a species of Meloe is used,194 possessing all the properties of the Spanish-fly.
Curious Facts in the History of Insects; Including Spiders and Scorpions.|Frank Cowan

British Dictionary definitions for Spanish fly

Spanish fly

noun

a European blister beetle, Lytta vesicatoria (family Meloidae), the dried bodies of which yield the pharmaceutical product cantharides

another name for cantharides

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