Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of numerous insects of the order or suborder Blattaria, having oval flat bodies and laying eggs in hardened cases, and including several species that are common household pests.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The popular name of the insects of the orthopterous genus Blatta, in a broad sense comprising several species, of which B. (Periplaneta) orientalis, the common cockroach or black beetle, may be regarded as the type.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) An orthopterous insect of the genus Blatta, and allied genera.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun zoology A black or brown
straight -wingedinsect of the orderBlattodea . - noun offensive, slang An unhygienic person or a member of a group of people regarded as unhygienic or rapidly
procreating .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun any of numerous chiefly nocturnal insects; some are domestic pests
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"You have the balloon effect for shifting coca production, what I call the cockroach effect for how the cartels jump from one region to the next, and then there's the whack-a-mole policy to try to deal with all of it," says Bruce Bagley, a political scientist at the University of Miami and an expert on the global drug trade.
Cocaine: The New Front Lines John Lyons 2012
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So I guess if a cockroach is seen leaving the White House with a suitcase, the Obama's would be blamed for bringing them there – AND, would be blamed for them moving out!!!
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In fact, apparently, the easiest way to sex your cockroach is to count the number of of segments on the underside of its abdomen, according to roach expert Joseph Kunkel, a biology professor at the University of Mass.,
Boing Boing 2009
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That's a grown man's hand the cockroach is perched on, and, yes, those are lovely wings.
Day in the Life of an Idiot lyda222 2010
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First off, most basic sources will just try to give you some fluffy answer about how to tell a boy cockroach from a girl cockroach, which doesn't have anything to do with penises (or lack thereof) at all.
Boing Boing 2009
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The proteins in cockroach saliva and waste can also cause allergies and aggravate asthma.
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The Japanese for cockroach is ゴキブリ, gokiburi, just in case you are interested.
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Simon Mann on TMS: "Paul Collingwood has become England's new 'cockroach' - Australia used to call Mike Atherton 'the cockroach' as no matter how many times you stamped on him, he always came battling back"
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The world’s largest cockroach is the Australian Giant Burrowing Cockroach, which can reach over 3. 5″ in length and weigh more than 1.06 ounces.
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Just the word cockroach caused a shudder deep inside him.
whichbe commented on the word cockroach
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off--it dies from starvation.
May 7, 2008
yarb commented on the word cockroach
On the very day you posted that comment, whichbe, I learnt this for myself during a visit to a vivarium.
May 10, 2008