biting midge
- noun
- /ˈbaɪtɪŋ mɪdʒ/
- Specialized
:
mosquito de los pantanos
- The most notorious pests are mosquitoes, blackflies, and biting midges, which can be a moderate to severe nuisance depending on the location.
Examples
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During my camping trip, I learned that biting midges are tiny insects known for their painful bites.
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The summer picnic was cut short because the biting midges were relentless, making everyone uncomfortable.
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Or maybe some kind of plague carried by those biting midges that you're so proud of.
Fiction book (1995) -
Their research has led to some key findings: Parts of the United States could eventually be declared bluetongue-free because the biting midges in the Northeast don't spread the virus.
Academic text (1999) -
The insects are biting midges, Culicoides variipennis, that transmit bluetongue.
Academic text (1995) -
A sixteenth-inch-long female biting midge, Culicoides sonorensis, feeds on blood delivered through an artificial membrane developed for mass insect rearing.
Academic text (1999) -
While hiking in the marsh, I was constantly swatting away the biting midge that kept trying to feed on my blood.
Synonyms
4
6.1
A very small flying insect often found near water that sometimes bites
1
9.9
A tiny insect that bites people and makes itchy spots
1
9.9
A very small insect that bites people and animals, often near water
1
9.9
A very small flying insect that makes itchy bites on people and animals
A very small flying insect that bites animals and people
A group of very small biting insects that suck blood from animals and people
Small biting flies like tiny mosquitoes that live near water and bite people or animals
A group of small biting flies like midges that can spread disease to animals
Tiny flies that bite people and animals, often near water, and can spread disease
Small flying insects that bite people and animals near water
How Dangerous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small insect that bites' is directly and compositionally derived from 'biting' (one that bites) + 'midge' (a small flying insect). This present-participle adjective + noun pattern is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Biting midge is a plain name that describes a very small fly: a midge that bites. Imagine tiny, mosquito-like insects that bite your skin and leave red, itchy spots — that's why the name means 'a tiny flying insect that bites'.