flitter-mice

A child watches flitter-mice fly at dusk.

Definition

1. Noun (plural):
   • Bats: "flitter-mice" is an archaic or dialectal term for bats, referring to the small, flying mammals of the order Chiroptera. The word emphasizes their fluttering, mouse-like appearance and nocturnal flight.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In the old barn, flitter-mice hung from the rafters during the day. (Bats resting in a dark place.)
  • The children were frightened by the flitter-mice swooping at dusk. (Bats flying at night.)

Advanced Usage

• "to see flitter-mice": an old-fashioned expression for observing bats in flight.
  • We sat on the porch and watched the flitter-mice dart about the garden. (We observed bats flying around.)

Variants and Related Words

• Flitter-mouse (n, singular): an older or regional variant of "flitter-mice," used for a single bat.

  • A single flitter-mouse flew into the cave. (One bat entered the cave.)

• Bat (n): the modern standard term for the same animal.

  • Bats are the only mammals capable of sustained flight. (The standard word.)

Synonyms

• Bat: the common, modern term for the flying mammal.
• Chiropteran: a scientific term for any member of the bat order.

Related Idioms

• "blind as a bat": an idiom meaning very poor eyesight, though bats are not actually blind.

  • Without my glasses, I am as blind as a bat. (I cannot see well.)

• "like a bat out of hell": moving very quickly and urgently.

  • He ran like a bat out of hell to catch the bus. (He ran extremely fast.)

Note: "Flitter-mice" is a rare or obsolete word; in modern English, "bats" is the standard term. No phrasal verbs or common compound words exist for this term.