earwig

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Any of various elongate insects of the order Dermaptera, having a pair of usually pincerlike appendages protruding from the rear of the abdomen.
• transitive verb To attempt to influence by persistent confidential argument or talk.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun The popular English name of all the cursorial orthopterous insects of the family Forficulidæ, representing the suborder Euplexoptera, which has several genera and numerous species.
• noun In the United States, the common name of any of the small centipeds, such as are found in houses in most of the States.
• noun One who gains the ear of another by stealth and whispers insinuations; a prying informer; a whisperer.
• To gain the ear of and influence by covert statements or insinuations; whisper insinuations in the ear of against another; fill the mind of with prejudice by covert statements.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• transitive verb To influence, or attempt to influence, by whispered insinuations or private talk.
• noun (Zoöl.) Any insect of the genus Forficula and related genera, belonging to the order Dermaptera (formerly Euplexoptera). They have elongated bodies and a prominent pair of curved pincers at the rear of their abdomen.
• noun (Zoöl.) In America, any small chilopodous myriapod, esp. of the genus Geophilus. See Geophilus
• noun A whisperer of insinuations; a secret counselor.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun Any of various insects of the order Dermaptera that have elongated bodies, large membranous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings and a pair of large pincers protruding from the rear of the abdomen.
• verb transitive To fill the mind of with prejudice by insinuations.
• verb transitive To attempt to influence by persistent confidential argument or talk.
• verb intransitive, UK, slang To eavesdrop.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun any of numerous insects of the order Dermaptera having elongate bodies and slender many-jointed antennae and a pair of large pincers at the rear of the abdomen