gnat

/næt/

Thân thiện

A gnat is buzzing around a picnic basket on a sunny afternoon.

Definition

Noun: 1. A very small, two-winged flying insect. Some types bite and suck blood, while others do not. Gnats are often seen in swarms. 2. (British, informal) Used broadly to refer to a mosquito or similar small biting fly.

Examples of Usage

• A cloud of gnats hovered over the wet grass after the rain.
• I got bitten by a gnat while hiking near the river.
• "Close the window, or we'll have gnats in here all night."

Advanced Usage

• "To strain at a gnat and swallow a camel": This idiom means to fuss over a minor detail or small fault while ignoring a much larger, more important one. It highlights pettiness or hypocrisy.
  • Example: The manager corrected a tiny formatting error in my report but approved the budget with a major calculation mistake. He's straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel.

Variants and Related Words

• Gnatty : Infested with or resembling gnats.
  • Example: The gnatty evening air made sitting outside unpleasant.

Synonyms

• Midge
• No-see-um (specifically for very small biting gnats)
• Black fly
• Sand fly

Related Idioms

• "To strain at a gnat and swallow a camel": (As defined in Advanced Usage).

Học thuật

Noun

1. (British usage) mosquito
2. any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies