firebug

[fahyuh r-buhg] /ˈfaɪərˌbʌg/
noun, Informal.
1.
arsonist; incendiary; pyromaniac.
Origin
1870-75, Americanism; fire + bug1
Examples from the web for firebug
  • Or it could have been a drooling firebug looking for a safe corner to set a fire.
  • He bore a shadowed name as a firebug, having burned three buildings for insurance.
British Dictionary definitions for firebug

firebug

/ˈfaɪəˌbʌɡ/
noun
1.
(informal) a person who deliberately sets fire to property
Word Origin and History for firebug
n.

"arsonist," 1872, from fire (n.) + bug (n.).

Slang definitions & phrases for firebug

firebug

noun

An arsonist; pyromaniac

[1872+; fr fire plus bug, ''maniac'']


Encyclopedia Article for firebug

a species of insect in the stinkbug family, Pentatomidae (order Heteroptera), that sucks sap and chlorophyll from crops, such as cabbage, causing them to wilt and die. Though of tropical or subtropical origin, this insect now ranges from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in North America. The harlequin cabbage bug is shield-shaped, about 1.25 centimetres (0.5 inch) long, and brilliantly coloured with red, yellow, and black. Fifty to 60 adult harlequin bugs may be found feeding simultaneously on one large plant, and both adult and immature bugs are often found together.

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