Definition

1. Noun:
   • A long sewing needle with a large eye: A "darning needle" is a tool used for mending fabric, specifically designed for darning socks or heavy embroidery. Its large eye allows for thick thread or yarn to pass through easily.
   • A common name for a dragonfly or damselfly: In informal, chiefly North American usage, "darning needle" is a folk name for certain slender, long-bodied insects of the order Odonata, known for their iridescent wings and role as predators of mosquitoes.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Sewing Tool):

  • She threaded the darning needle with thick wool to mend the hole in the sock.
  • A darning needle is essential for repairing woven fabrics by hand.

• Noun (Insect):

  • We watched the darning needle hover over the pond before darting away.
  • Children sometimes call dragonflies "darning needles" because of their long, thin bodies.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Regional Term: The insect meaning of "darning needle" is considered a colloquial or regional term. In formal contexts, "dragonfly" or "damselfly" is preferred.
  • In my grandmother's region, they always called dragonflies "darning needles."

Variants and Related Words

• Darn (verb): To mend a hole in fabric by weaving thread across it.
  • I need to darn these socks before I can wear them again.
• Darning (noun): The act or result of mending fabric with a darning stitch.
  • Her neat darning made the sock look almost new.
• Darning Egg/Mushroom (noun): A rounded tool placed inside a garment to provide a firm surface for darning.
  • She placed the darning mushroom inside the sock's heel to begin her work.

Synonyms

• For the sewing tool: Darner, embroidery needle (specifically for the long, large-eyed type).
• For the insect: Dragonfly, damselfly, sewing needle (informal), devil's darning needle (informal/folk).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• (As) busy as a darning needle: An informal simile comparing someone's constant, darting activity to the quick, hovering flight of the insect.
  • The new intern was as busy as a darning needle, rushing from one task to another.

Noun

1. slender-bodied non-stinging insect having iridescent wings that are outspread at rest; adults and nymphs feed on mosquitoes etc.
2. a long needle with an eye large enough for heavy darning or embroidery thread