Word Study
bluebottle
CIDE DICTIONARY
bluebottle, n.
- an annual Eurasian plant (
Centaurea cyanus ) which grows in grain fields; -- called alsobachelor's button . It receives its name from its blue bottle-shaped flowers. Varieties cultivated in North America have showy heads of blue or purple or pink or white flowers [1913 Webster] - A large and troublesome species of blowfly (
Musca vomitoria ). Its body is steel blue. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
bluebottle, n.
1 a large buzzing fly, Calliphora vomitoria, with a metallic-blue body. Also called BLOWFLY.
2 Austral. a Portuguese man-of-war.
3 a dark blue cornflower.
4 Brit. colloq. a policeman.
1 a large buzzing fly, Calliphora vomitoria, with a metallic-blue body. Also called BLOWFLY.
2 Austral. a Portuguese man-of-war.
3 a dark blue cornflower.
4 Brit. colloq. a policeman.
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