beggar lice
- noun
- US
:
pulgón
- The beggar lice stuck to my pants after I walked through the tall grass.
Examples
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I spent hours picking beggar lice off my dog's fur after our hike.
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Several species of beggar lice are common in southern forests.
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Look out for beggar lice!
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The beggar lice stuck to my dog's fur.
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After walking through the field, I had to remove several beggar lice from my clothes.
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The beggar lice clung to the dog's fur as we played in the grassy area.
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I noticed beggar lice stuck to my hiking boots after our outdoor adventure.
Synonyms
A plant with small sticky seeds that attach to clothes or animal fur
A plant with sticky seeds that cling to fur or clothing
A small plant with tiny prickly seeds that stick to clothes or animal fur
A plant that grows in wet places with yellow flowers and seeds that stick to clothes
A plant with yellow flowers and prickly seeds that stick to clothes and fur
A plant with yellow flowers and small prickly fruits that stick to fur or clothing
A plant with three small leaves and sticky pods that cling to clothes or animals
An upright plant that lives for many years and grows in dry grassy places
Surface Forms
Morphology
beggar + louse
The words 'beggar' (a person who begs) and 'louse/lice' (small parasitic insects) signal something small and clingy, so a learner who knows the constituents would likely infer a clingy or parasitic quality. However, the actual referent—sticky plant seeds that attach to clothing—is a metaphorical extension and the role of 'beggar' is not directly compositional, so the full meaning is not reliably predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Beggar lice may come from the image of tiny, sticky seeds that cling to your clothes like a beggar holding on or like small lice grabbing at hair. That's why the name today means a plant whose small prickly seeds easily stick to animals or clothing.
