He will be fleaed first And horse collars made of's skin.
J. Fletcher.
Flea, n. [OE. fle, flee, AS. fle·, fle·h; akin to D. vtoo, OHG. flh, G.
floh, Icel. fl, Russ. blocha; prob. from the root of E. flee.
√84. See Flee.] (Zoˆl.) An insect belonging to the genus Pulex,
of the order Aphaniptera. Fleas are destitute of wings, but have the
power of leaping energetically. The bite is poisonous to most persons.
The human flea (Pulex irritans), abundant in Europe, is rare in
America, where the dog flea (P. canis) takes its place. See
Aphaniptera, and Dog flea. See Illustration in Appendix.
A flea in the ear, an unwelcome hint or unexpected reply, annoying like
a flea; an irritating repulse; as, to put a flea in one's ear; to go
away with a flea in one's ear. -- Beach flea, Black flea, etc. See
under Beach, etc.
Flea"bane` (?), n. (Bot.) One of various plants, supposed to have
efficacy in driving away fleas. They belong, for the most part, to the
genera Conyza, Erigeron, and Pulicaria.
Flea"-bee`tle (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A small beetle of the family HalticidÊ,
of many species. They have strong posterior legs and leap like fleas.
The turnip flea-beetle (Phyllotreta vittata) and that of the grapevine
(Graptodera chalybea) are common injurious species.
Flea"-bite` (?), n. 1. The bite of a flea, or the red spot caused by
the bite.