house fly
- noun
- /ˈhaʊs flaɪ/
:
mosca doméstica
- Controlling house flies and other filth-breeding flies that carry intestinal bacteria onto food and skin, however, requires a different approach.
Examples
-
It was meant to be a robotic drone that would automatically patrol a room, seeking out house flies and mosquitoes with its onboard motion detectors and getting rid of them without human intervention.
Fiction book (2001) -
For example, as suburban sprawl encroaches on farmland, people have more contact with both stable flies and house flies (Musca domestica), creating conflict with livestock producers.
Academic text (2003) -
The insects visible in the right photograph are dead house flies.
Academic text (2015) -
" Adult gall flies resemble very small house flies.
Academic text (1997) -
Another annoying insect is the fly; whether it's a house fly, cluster fly, blow fly, or secondary screwworm fly, they all are annoying.
Blog text (3) -
House flies don't bite, but they can transmit many diseases to humans and other animals.
Academic text (2003) -
Jerry Hogsette, an entomologist at CMAVE, will do the same for house flies, which spread a variety of diarrheal agents.
Academic text (2005) -
Between 20,000 and 25,000 wasp-parasitized house fly pupae were distributed per farm per week in fly breeding areas.
Academic text (1994) -
The kitchen was swarming with house flies that buzzed around the uncovered food.
-
To reduce disease risks, it's important to keep house flies away from food and surfaces.
Synonyms
4
1.3
A small fly that lives in houses and can spread germs
A common housefly that lives near people and can spread disease
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun-noun compound where 'house' specifies the location/association of the insect 'fly', so the meaning 'a fly found in houses' is directly derivable from the constituents. The composition follows a regular, cross-linguistically common modifier+noun pattern and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
House fly is a name for a common fly that lives near people. The name comes from the simple picture of a fly in your house, often landing on food or trash, so it now means the common indoor fly that can 'spread disease'.