March fly - Wiktionary, the free dictionary


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March fly (plural March flies)

  1. Any of the family Bibionidae of dark hairy flies. [from 19th c.]
  2. (Australia, New Zealand) Any of the bloodsucking horseflies of family Tabanidae. [from 19th c.]
    • 1979, Thea Astley, Hunting the Wild Pineapple, Nelson, page 130:

      Leo crushed a couple of March flies to death on his splendid mahogany thigh and looked at her speculatively.

    • 1988, Tom Cole, Hell West and Crooked, Angus & Robertson, published 1995, page 237:

      There were other, less pleasant forms of life, too; March flies with a spike-like proboscis I thought would have no trouble going through a pine board.

  3. Tipula hortulana (syn. Bibio hortulanus), now of family Tipulidae of crane flies.

Translations to be checked