crotonbug

[kroht-n-buhg] /ˈkroʊt nˌbʌg/

noun

Also, Croton bug.

Origin

1855-60, Americanism; allegedly after the Croton Reservoir in Westchester Co., N.Y.; its opening in 1842 was supposedly coincident with a rise in New York City's cockroach population; see bug¹