Definition

1. Noun:
   • A parasitic insect: A small, flat, wingless insect (Echidnophaga gallinacea) that is parasitic, especially on the heads of chickens and other birds.
   • A type of plant: Any of several plants of the genus Bidens, characterized by yellow flowers and prickly fruits (burs) that cling to fur, clothing, or animal hair.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Insect):

  • The farmer treated the chickens for sticktight fleas.
  • Sticktights can cause irritation and anemia in poultry.

• Noun (Plant):

  • We had to pick sticktights off our socks after the hike.
  • The meadow was full of yellow-flowered sticktight.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in a compound form ("sticktight flea") when referring to the insect, to distinguish it clearly from the plant.
• In botanical contexts, "sticktight" is a common name for plants also known as "bur marigolds" or "beggar-ticks."

Variants and Related Words

• Sticktight flea (n): The specific parasitic insect.
• Bur marigold (n): Another common name for the plant.
• Beggar-ticks (n): Another common name for the plant, referring to its clinging seeds.

Synonyms

• For the insect: Chicken flea, parasitic flea.
• For the plant: Bur marigold, beggar-ticks, Spanish needles.

Related Phrases

• "Cling like a sticktight": An informal phrase describing something that adheres tenaciously.
  • The mud clung to his boots like a sticktight.

Noun

1. parasitic on especially the heads of chickens
2. any of several plants of the genus Bidens having yellow flowers and prickly fruits that cling to fur and clothing