daddy-longlegs

or dad·dy long·legs

[ dad-ee-lawng-legz, -long- ]

/ ˈdæd iˈlɔŋˌlɛgz, -ˈlɒŋ- /

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noun (used with a singular or plural verb)

Also called harvestman. any of numerous spiderlike arachnids of the order Opiliones, having a compact rounded body and extremely long, slender legs.

British. a crane fly.

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Origin of daddy-longlegs

First recorded in 1805–15; daddy + long¹ + leg + -s³

Words nearby daddy-longlegs

dad bod, dad-burned, Dadd, Daddah, daddy, daddy-longlegs, daddy-o, daddy track, dad-gummed, dad-in-law, dad joke

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use daddy-longlegs in a sentence

Other Arachnids—as mites, ticks, scorpions, daddy longlegs or harvest-men—may be collected in the same way as spiders.
Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects|C. V. Riley
These latter were mostly harvestmen or daddy longlegs (Phalangid).
Food Habits of the Thrushes of the United States|F. E. L. Beal
He always moved by leaps, as if he felt too gay to plod along like Daddy Longlegs, for instance.
The Tale of Chirpy Cricket|Arthur Scott Bailey
Among them are the male cricket and "daddy-longlegs," both of which are reported to have been seen in a phosphorescent condition.
Poachers and Poaching|John Watson

And before Daddy Longlegs could stop her she had hurried away to spread the news far and wide.
The Tale of Betsy Butterfly|Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for daddy-longlegs

daddy-longlegs

noun

British an informal name for a crane fly

Australian, US and Canadian an informal name for harvestman (def. 2)

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

daddy-longlegs

or dad·dy long·legs

Origin of daddy-longlegs

Words nearby daddy-longlegs

Words related to daddy-longlegs

How to use daddy-longlegs in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for daddy-longlegs