gadfly

Meaning

1. Any dipterous (“two-winged”) insect or fly of the family Oestridae (commonly known as a botfly) or Tabanidae (horsefly), noted for irritating animals by buzzing about them, and biting them to suck their blood; a gadbee.
2. (also, attributive, figuratively) A person or thing that irritates or instigates.
3. (also, attributive, figuratively, specifically) A person or thing that irritates or instigates.
4. (also, attributive, figuratively) Synonym of gadabout (“a person who restlessly moves from place to place, seeking amusement or the companionship of others”).
5. (also, attributive, derogatory, figuratively, slang) A person who takes without giving back; a bloodsucker.

Synonyms

horsefly

horse-fly

botfly

horse fly

pesterer

blighter

cleg

cuss

pest

bot-fly

breeze

gad-fly

irritant

oestrus

oestrum

Gastrophilus equi

Stomoxys calcitrans

mosquito

🦟

Translations

taon

Bremse

tábano

daas

brems

paardehorzel

tafano

atsineği

assillo

mutuca

paardenvlieg

Dasselfliege

αλογόμυγα

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡædflaɪ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: gad

In summary

From gad (“(obsolete) sharp point, spike; (dialectal) sharp-pointed rod for driving cattle, horses, etc., goad”) + fly, in the sense of a fly which irritates cattle, etc., by biting them, similar to the prodding of a goad. Gad is derived from Middle English gad, gadde (“metal spike with a sharp point; stick with a sharp point for driving animals, goad; metal bar or rod, ingot; (by extension) lump of material; metal rod for measuring land; (by extension) unit of linear measure equal to about 10 to 16 feet”), borrowed from Old Norse gaddr (“spike; goad”), from Proto-Germanic *gazdaz (“spike; goad”), further etymology uncertain.
Sense 2.1.1 (“person who upsets the status quo”) may allude to the Apology by the Greek philosopher Plato (428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 B.C.E.), where he describes Socrates (c. 470 – 399 B.C.E.) acting as a goad to the Athenian political scene like a gadfly (Ancient Greek μῠ́ωψ (mŭ́ōps)) arousing a sluggish horse.