earwig
To fill the mind of with prejudice by insinuationsTo fill the mind of with prejudice by insinuations.
» Underneath the cinder block, he found lots of roly-poly bugs and earwigs crawling around.
Meaning
4 senses(transitive)To fill the mind of with prejudice by insinuations.
(transitive)To attempt to influence by persistent confidential argument or talk.
(UK, intransitive, slang)To eavesdrop.
(UK, slang, transitive)To eavesdrop on.
Examples
3 sentencesUnderneath the cinder block, he found lots of roly-poly bugs and earwigs crawling around.
When I was little, I was afraid that an earwig would get inside my ear at night.
The earwig gave Jock a scare - he was afraid of insects.
Origin
From Middle English erwigge, from Old English ēarwicga, from ēare (“ear”) + wicga (“insectFrom Middle English erwigge, from Old English ēarwicga, from ēare (“ear”) + wicga (“insect”), so named from the appearance of the hindwings, which are unique in their resemblance to human ears when unfolded.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
earwigs, earwigging, earwigged, earwigged| Base form | earwig · to earwig |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | earwigs |
| Present participle | earwigging |
| Past simple | earwigged |
| Past participle | earwigged |
irregular
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle