doodlebug
doodlebug Lexical Profile
doodlebug Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American The predatory larva of any of various lacewing-like insects of the family Myrmeleontidae (antlions), which digs a small conical pit in dry sand or loose soil to trap passing ants and other small arthropods.
"The children crouched beside the sandy path, watching a tiny doodlebug flick grains of sand from the bottom of its funnel-shaped pit."
North American Any of various small terrestrial crustaceans of the family Armadillidiidae (woodlice) that roll into a tight defensive ball when disturbed.
"When she lifted the damp flower pot on the porch, several gray doodlebugs curled up into tiny spheres in the soil."
North American A small, self-propelled gasoline-electric or diesel-electric railcar used for passenger and light freight service on rural branch lines during the early to mid-twentieth century.
"Before rural highways expanded, the local railroad operated a single doodlebug to carry mail and commuters between the small prairie towns."
British An informal wartime name for the German V-1 flying bomb used during the Second World War, noted for the distinctive buzzing sound of its pulsejet engine.
"The museum exhibit featured archival memoirs describing how residents listened for the sputtering engine of an approaching doodlebug."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in late 18th-century American English by combining the dialectal word 'doodle' (meaning a simpleton or foolish person) with 'bug', originally referring to the seemingly erratic, backward movement of antlion larvae in sandy soil.