harvest-fly

A harvest-fly clings to a tree trunk, singing on a summer day.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of cicada: "harvest-fly" refers to a cicada, particularly one that emerges in late summer or early autumn around the time of harvest. These insects are known for their loud, rhythmic buzzing sounds produced by males to attract females.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The drone of the harvest-fly filled the warm August evenings. (The sound of the cicada was prominent during late summer.)
  • Children collected the discarded shells of harvest-flies from tree trunks. (They gathered the exoskeletons left behind by cicadas after molting.)

Advanced Usage

• "to hear the harvest-fly": to experience the characteristic sound of cicadas signalling the end of summer.
  • The first harvest-fly of the season is a sure sign that autumn is approaching. (The cicada's call marks a seasonal change.)

Variants and Related Words

• Harvest (n): the process of gathering crops.
  • The harvest of wheat was abundant this year. (The gathering of the wheat crop was plentiful.)
• Fly (n): a winged insect, though "harvest-fly" is not a true fly but a cicada.

Synonyms

• Cicada: the broader scientific term for insects in the family Cicadidae.
• Locust: sometimes used loosely for cicadas, though locusts are a type of grasshopper.

Related Idioms

• "as noisy as a harvest-fly": used to describe something extremely loud or persistent in sound.
  • The old air conditioner was as noisy as a harvest-fly. (It produced a constant, loud hum.)

Note: "Harvest-fly" is a somewhat archaic or regional term, now less common than "cicada" in modern English. It is primarily used in literary or rural contexts.