flea
n
1 any small wingless parasitic blood-sucking insect of the order Siphonaptera, living on the skin of mammals and birds and noted for its power of leaping
2 any of various invertebrates that resemble fleas, such as the water flea and flea beetle
3 ♦
flea in one's ear Informal a sharp rebuke (Old English fleah; related to Old Norse flo, Old High German floh)
beach flea
n another name for the →
sand hopper
flea beetle
n any small common beetle of the genera Phyllotreta, Chalcoides, etc., having enlarged hind legs and capable of jumping: family Chrysomelidae. The larvae of many species are very destructive to turnips and other cruciferous vegetables
flea-bitten
adj
1 bitten by or infested with fleas
2 Informal shabby or decrepit; mean
3 (of the coat of a horse) having reddish-brown spots on a lighter background
flea market
n an open-air market selling cheap and often second-hand goods
sand flea
n another name for the →
chigoe →
1 →
sand hopper
water flea
n any of numerous minute freshwater branchiopod crustaceans of the order Cladocera, which swim by means of hairy branched antennae
See also →
daphnia