Flea
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Flea \Flea\, n. [OE. fle, flee, AS. fle['a], fle['a]h; akin to
D. vtoo, OHG. fl[=o]h, G. floh, Icel. fl[=o], Russ. blocha;
prob. from the root of E. flee. [root]84. See {Flee}.]
(Zool.)
An insect belonging to the genus {Pulex}, of the order
{Aphaniptera}. Fleas are destitute of wings, but have the
power of leaping energetically. The bite is poisonous to most
persons. The human flea ({Pulex irritans}), abundant in
Europe, is rare in America, where the dog flea
({Ctenocephalides canis}, formerly {Pulex canis}) and the
smaller cat flea ({Ctenocephalides felis}) take its place.
See {Aphaniptera}, and {Dog flea}. See Illustration in
Appendix.
[1913 Webster]
{A flea in the ear}, an unwelcome hint or unexpected reply,
annoying like a flea; an irritating repulse; as, to put a
flea in one's ear; to go away with a flea in one's ear.
{Beach flea}, {Black flea}, etc. See under {Beach}, etc.
[1913 Webster]
from
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Flea
David at the cave of Adullam thus addressed his persecutor Saul
(1 Sam. 24:14): "After whom is the king of Israel come out?
after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea?" He
thus speaks of himself as the poor, contemptible object of the
monarch's pursuit, a "worthy object truly for an expedition of
the king of Israel with his picked troops!" This insect is in
Eastern language the popular emblem of insignificance. In 1 Sam.
26:20 the LXX. read "come out to seek my life" instead of "to
seek a flea."
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
39 Moby Thesaurus words for "flea":
broad jumper, bucking bronco, buckjumper, cat flea, chigoe,
cockroach, crab, dog flea, frog, gazelle, goat, grasshopper,
grayback, high jumper, hopper, hurdle racer, hurdler, jackrabbit,
jigger, jumper, jumping bean, jumping jack, kangaroo, leaper,
louse, mite, nit, parasite, pole vaulter, red bug, roach, salmon,
sand flea, stag, sunfisher, timber topper, vaulter, vermin,
weevil
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