DCHP-3

moose-fly

DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.

n.

any one of several species of horsefly, especially Chrysops.

Quotations

1849
In short . . . the closeness is often times terrible to bear, especially as it is accompanied with . . . the horse-fly, which seems to take the bite out of the flesh; and the large moose or speckled-winged fly.
1953
Further south, where they are never so numerous, they [bulldogs] are called horse-flies, or moose-flies.