gadfly

gad·fly (g

)

1. A persistent irritating critic; a nuisance.

2. One that acts as a provocative stimulus; a goad.

3. Any of various flies, especially of the family Tabanidae, that bite or annoy livestock and other animals.

[gad + fly.]

gadfly [ˈgædˌflaɪ]

n pl -flies

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various large dipterous flies, esp the horsefly, that annoy livestock by sucking their blood

2. a constantly irritating or harassing person

[from gad² (sting) + fly²]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	gadfly - a persistently annoying person blighter, cuss, pesterer, pest nudnick, nudnik - (Yiddish) someone who is a boring pest persecutor, tormenter, tormentor - someone who torments
	2.	gadfly - any of various large flies that annoy livestock fly - two-winged insects characterized by active flight botfly - stout-bodied hairy dipterous fly whose larvae are parasites on humans and other mammals warble fly - hairy bee-like fly whose larvae produce lumpy abscesses (warbles) under the skin of cattle cleg, clegg, horse fly, horsefly - large swift fly the female of which sucks blood of various animals

Translations

gadfly [ˈgædflaɪ] N → tábano m

gadfly [ˈgædflaɪ] n (= person) → enquiquineur/euse m/f

gadfly

n → (Vieh)bremse f

gadfly [ˈgædˌflaɪ] n → tafano

Mentioned in	?		References in classic literature	?		Dictionary browser	?		Full browser	?
botfly Bull fly Burrel fly cleg clegg Gadbee Gadfly petrel genus Oestrus horse fly horsefly irritation nudnick nudnik OEstrian oestrus Oestrus ovis Oxfly Pesterer sheep botfly	Passion for power: the wicked gadfly which is mounted on the vainest peoples; the scorner of all uncertain virtue; which rideth on every horse and on every pride. Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book For All And None by Nietzsche, Friedrich View in context They fled to the other end of the court like a herd of cattle maddened by the gadfly in early summer when the days are at their longest. The Odyssey by Homer View in context To see Porthos hungry, to see Mousqueton without gold lace, imprisoned, perhaps; to see Pierrefonds, Bracieux, razed to the very stones, dishonored even to the timber, - these were so many poignant griefs for D'Artagnan, and every time that one of these griefs struck him, he bounded like a horse at the sting of a gadfly beneath the vaults of foliage where he has sought shady shelter from the burning sun. The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas, Alexandre View in context	Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit Gabriel Lippmann Gabriel Tellez Gabriele Fallopius Gabrieli Gabriello Fallopio Gabun gaby Gad gad about gad about or around Gadaba gadabout Gadara Gadarene Gadbee Gaddafi Gadder gaddi Gadding Gadding car Gaddingly Gaddish Gade Gadere gadfly Gadfly petrel gadget gadgeteer gadgetry gadgety gadgie Gadhelic Gadic gadid Gadidae Gadiformes Gaditanian gadjo Gadling Gadman gado gado gadoid gadoid fish Gadolinia Gadolinic gadolinite gadolinium gadroon Gadsden Gadsden Purchase	gadding gadding Gadding car Gadding car gadding machine gadding machine Gaddingly Gaddis Gaddis Gaddis, William Gaddish GADDS Gade Gade Gade Gade, Niels Vilhelm Gadeira Gadeira Gadere GADEROS Gades Gades Gades Gades Gades GADEST GADF Gadflies Gadflies Gadflies gadfly Gadfly petrel gadget gadget gadget gadget Gadget Acquisition Syndrome gadget allergies gadget blogs Gadget-Obsessed, Status Symbol-Infatuated Professionals gadgeteer gadgeteer gadgeteer gadgeteers gadgeteers gadgeteers gadgetry gadgetry gadgetry Gadgets Gadgets Gadgets gadgety gadgety gadgety GADGHT Gadgie Gadhadhar Chatterji Gadhadhar Chatterji Gadhafi, Moammar El- Gadhelic

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botfly
Bull fly
Burrel fly
cleg
clegg
Gadbee
Gadfly petrel
genus Oestrus
horse fly
horsefly
irritation
nudnick
nudnik
OEstrian
oestrus
Oestrus ovis
Oxfly
Pesterer
sheep botfly

Passion for power: the wicked gadfly which is mounted on the vainest peoples; the scorner of all uncertain virtue; which rideth on every horse and on every pride.

Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book For All And None by Nietzsche, Friedrich View in context

They fled to the other end of the court like a herd of cattle maddened by the gadfly in early summer when the days are at their longest.

The Odyssey by Homer View in context

To see Porthos hungry, to see Mousqueton without gold lace, imprisoned, perhaps; to see Pierrefonds, Bracieux, razed to the very stones, dishonored even to the timber, - these were so many poignant griefs for D'Artagnan, and every time that one of these griefs struck him, he bounded like a horse at the sting of a gadfly beneath the vaults of foliage where he has sought shady shelter from the burning sun.

The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas, Alexandre View in context

gadfly playV2('en/US/st/stdydhdsdosksnh7');playV2('en/UK/st/stdydhdsdosksnh7')

gadfly