beggar lice
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun 1. A type of plant with sticky seeds: The term "beggar lice" refers to any of several plants, especially in the genera Desmodium or Hackelia, that produce small, dry fruits (nutlets or loments) covered in tiny hooks or barbs. These fruits easily stick to clothing and animal fur. 2. The sticky seeds themselves: The word can also refer directly to the small, prickly seeds or burrs produced by these plants.
Examples
- Referring to the plant:
- The field was overgrown with beggar lice, making our hike quite messy.
- Botanists study beggar lice for their unique seed dispersal mechanism.
- Referring to the seeds:
- After walking through the woods, my socks were covered in beggar lice.
- It took forever to pick all the beggar lice off the dog's fur.
Advanced Usage
- The name is informal and descriptive, originating from the idea that the seeds are as clingy and troublesome as lice, and they might be picked up by a beggar's tattered clothes.
- It is often used in the plural form ("beggar lice") even when referring to the plant collectively or the seeds in bulk.
Variants and Related Words
- Beggar's-lice: An alternative spelling with an apostrophe 's'.
- Tick trefoil: Another common name for plants in the genus, referring to their typically three-part (trifoliate) leaves and tick-like seeds.
- Sticktight: A general name for various plants with burs or seeds that stick to passersby.
- Bur: A general term for a prickly seed case or fruit that clings.
Synonyms
- Clinging seeds
- Burs (though burs are often larger)
- Sticktights
Related Idioms or Phrases
- "Like beggar lice": Used informally to describe something that is persistently attached or difficult to remove.
- The old nickname stuck to him like beggar lice.
Noun
- any of various tropical and subtropical plants having trifoliate leaves and rough sticky pod sections or loments
- Eurasian and North American plants having small prickly nutlets that stick to clothing