flycatcher

English

Etymology

From fly +‎ catcher.

Pronunciation

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Noun

flycatcher (plural flycatchers)

  1. Any of many kinds of birds of the family Muscicapidae, of Africa, Europe, and Asia, that catch insects in flight; an Old World flycatcher.
  2. Any of many kinds of similar birds of various families, such as Tyrannidae (the New World flycatchers of the Americas), Tityridae, Stenostiridae, Monarchidae, Petroicidae, etc.
  3. A device for catching flies.
    • 1883 January 20, The Williamstown Advertiser, Victoria, page 2, column 1:
      Stewart appeared anxious to get all information in connection with a fly-catcher on the counter.
    • 1889 January 26, The Queensland Figaro and Punch, Brisbane, page 3, column 3:
      He has a patent revolving fly-catcher on the counter.
    • 1904 March 4, The Australian Christian Commonwealth, SA, page 7, column 2:
      The flies worried me when I was writing the other day. I put up a vampire flycatcher on my desk. One stuck to it, and I watched it struggling.
    • 1940 August 13, The Southern Mail, Bowral, NSW, page 4, column 5:
      A flycatcher, one of the sticky sort you pull out of a cylinder, will keep safes and cupboards free from ants.

Derived terms

Translations

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