Definitions

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

  • noun Paper coated with a sticky, sometimes poisonous substance, used to catch flies.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Poisoned paper used for killing flies, or a paper with an adhesive coating to which flies adhere.

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

  • noun A strip of paper that is coated with a sticky substance and suspended from an overhead object to trap and kill flies; also, a similar paper poisoned so as to kill flies on contact.

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

  • noun A strip of paper coated with a sticky, often poisonous, substance that catches and kills flies that land on it

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

  • noun paper that is poisoned or coated with a sticky substance to kill flies

Etymologies

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Examples

  • If our troops in Iraq are just "flypaper" -- sitting-duck targets to attract terrorist bombers -- why not try to get the Palestinian suicide bombers to go after them, too?

    Random feeds from Syndic8.com 2009

  • Aura watches the pot of flypaper, which is boiling too vigorously, and lowers the flame.

    The Lady Matador’s Hotel Cristina García 2010

  • The Bush administration hoped that Iraq would draw terrorists to one place, making them easier to kill, the so-called flypaper theory.

    CNN Transcript Jul 12, 2007 2007

  • The Bush administration hoped that Iraq would draw terrorists to one place, making them easier to kill, the so-called flypaper theory.

    CNN Transcript Jul 13, 2007 2007

  • The Bush administration hoped that Iraq would draw terrorists to one place, making them easier to kill, the so-called flypaper theory.

    CNN Transcript Jul 13, 2007 2007

  • The Bush administration hoped that Iraq would draw terrorists to one place, making them easier to kill, the so-called flypaper theory.

    CNN Transcript Jul 12, 2007 2007

  • It's called the flypaper theory in itself a monumentally stupid notion as the attacks in London last year demonstrated and the imperialist hubris behind such an attitude is truly sickening.

    Wrongs and Responsibilities Garry 2006

  • It's called the flypaper theory in itself a monumentally stupid notion as the attacks in London last year demonstrated and the imperialist hubris behind such an attitude is truly sickening.

    Archive 2006-11-01 Garry 2006

  • President Clinton correctly says that NAFTA has become a "flypaper" for many economic discontents, from corporate "downsizing" to low wages, that have nothing to do with Mexico.

    The Isolationist Illusion 2008

  • Well, it's said that Sturges had Paramount ask Disney for permission to use that specific cartoon -- there's apparently a note in the files with the phrase "Get 'flypaper' cartoon" -- and after the great success of LADY EVE, Paramount was willing to humor the filmmaker.

    Sylvester Gets His Due Jaime J. Weinman 2007

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