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# earwig

«earwig» in Mova's school dictionary: **A small brown insect with a long body and a pair of…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an earwig, earwigs); verb (UK, informal: earwig, earwigs, earwigged, earwigging)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A small brown insect with a long body and a pair of pincers at its tail end. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#m1)

2) (UK, informal) To listen secretly to other people's conversations, as in «Stop earwigging!» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science and garden lessons earwigs are minibeasts found under stones, bark and flowerpots; they eat plants and small insects. Myth: they do not crawl into people's ears to lay eggs. In UK homes, a nosy child might be told off for «earwigging».

### examples

- We found earwigs under the flowerpot. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x1)
- An earwig has pincers on its tail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x2)
- Earwigs come out at night to eat. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x3)
- Earwigs do not really crawl into your ears. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x4)
- Stop earwigging on our conversation! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x5)
- Mum said I was earwigging when I listened at the door. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x6)
- Effie's brother Harry fished something out of his tea, which he thought at first was an earwig. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/#x7)

### note

Takes «an»: «an earwig». The verb sense is British and informal. The pincers are called «cerci»; they can give a pinch but are harmless.

### In the corpora

- [Free worm!" Lottie's brother whispers at bedtime that earwigs crawl into your ears at night and munch your brain.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/9-small-creatures-and-creepy-crawlies/1/)
- [Earwigs don't seek out ears and can't eat brains; their name probably comes from old folk beliefs.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/9-small-creatures-and-creepy-crawlies/10/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «earwig» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earwig/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.