flea
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Related to Fleas: Sand fleas
a flea in (one's) ear
A sharp, strident, or disconcerting reproof or rebuff. She gave me a flea in my ear over my spending habits. I'll be sure to put a flea in his ear the next time I see him!
flea market
A typically outdoor market or bazaar where sundry goods, antiques, household items, or trinkets are sold, bartered, or traded. Possibly from the French marché aux puces, a name given to an outdoor market in Paris where second-hand goods were sold. I love our town's local flea market— you never know what you might find there!
flea in the ear
1. Something annoying. That constant beeping has become a flea in the ear. Is there any way to stop it?
2. A harsh reprimand. I had to talk to Mr. Myers about the botched report today, and boy, did he give me a flea in the ear.
he that lieth with dogs riseth with fleas
If one spends time with bad people, one will suffer in some way (often by becoming like said associates). I worry about my brother hanging out with all those troublemakers—he that lieth with dogs riseth with fleas.
if you lie with dogs, you will get fleas
If one spends time with bad people, one will suffer in some way (often by becoming like said associates). I worry about my brother hanging out with all those troublemakers—if you lie with dogs, you will get fleas, you know?
send (one) away with a flea in (one's) ear
To turn one away forcefully or angrily. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. That's the third time they've asked for a donation this week. Send them away with a flea in their ear! My mother sent me away with a flea in my ear when I asked her if I could quit piano lessons.
not hurt a fly
To harm nothing or no one. Said of one who is particularly gentle, shy, diffident, or timid by nature. My brother is a very sweet, warm-hearted man who wouldn't hurt a fly. How can you suspect him of committing this crime?
(as) fit as a flea
In good health. Yes, I did have surgery a few months ago, but I'm as fit as a flea now. I just saw Eric recently, and he's as fit as a flea.
not hurt a flea
To harm nothing or no one. Said of one who is particularly gentle, shy, diffident, or timid by nature. My brother is a very sweet, warm-hearted man who wouldn't hurt a flea. How can you suspect him of committing this crime?
fleabag
1. noun, slang An inexpensive, shabby hotel or similar place of lodging. Ew, we can't stay in a fleabag like that, no matter how cheap it is. It's probably infested with bedbugs!
2. adjective, slang Describing such a place. I've stayed in a lot of fleabag motels, but this place is beyond disgusting.
fleabite
1. A minor annoyance or nuisance OK, so we have to go somewhere else for dinner. It's not a big deal, just a fleabite in the grand scheme of things, really.
2. A very small, insignificant chip or scrape. There's one small fleabite on the side of that dish, but it's hardly noticeable.
*fit as a fiddle
Cliché in very good health. (*Also: as ~.) You may feel sick now, but after a few days of rest and plenty of liquids, you'll be fit as a fiddle. Grandson: Are you sure you'll be able to climb all these stairs? Grandmother: Of course! I feel as fit as a fiddle today.
If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.
Prov. If you associate with bad people, you will acquire their faults. Granddaughter: It's not fair. I'm starting to get a bad reputation just because I'm friends with Suzy and she has a bad reputation. Grandmother: It's only natural. People think that if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.
not hurt a flea
Fig. not to harm anything or anyone, even a tiny insect. (Also with other forms of negation.) Ted would not even hurt a flea. He could not have struck Bill. Ted would never hurt a flea, and he would not hit anyone as you claim.
fit as a fiddle
In excellent form or health. For example, He's not just recovered, he's fit as a fiddle. The original allusion of this simile has been lost. Its survival is probably due to the pleasant sound of its alliteration. [Early 1600s]
flea in one's ear, a
An annoying hint or a stinging rebuke, as in He has a flea in his ear about their relationship, or If he doesn't bring the right equipment, I'll put a flea in his ear. This expression originated in French and has been used in English since the 1400s.
See also: flea
flea market
A market, usually held outdoors, where used goods and antiques are sold. For example, We picked up half of our furniture at flea markets. The term is a direct translation of the French marché aux puces and presumably implies that some of the used clothes and furniture might be flea-infested. [1920s]
not hurt a fly
Also, not hurt a flea. Not cause harm to anyone, be gentle and mild, as in Paul's the kindest man-he wouldn't hurt a flea, or Bert has a temper but it's all talk; he wouldn't hurt a fly. Both fly and flea are used in the sense of "a small insignificant animal." [Early 1800s]
fit as a fiddle
BRITISH, AMERICAN orfit as a flea
BRITISHIf someone is as fit as a fiddle or as fit as a flea, they are very fit and healthy. Note: In the first two idioms here, `fit' means healthy and full of energy. He was nearly 80 and as fit as a fiddle. He is young enough at 33 and fit as a flea. Note: This expression may originally have applied to a violin player, or fiddler, rather than to a violin, or fiddle. The fiddler had to be fit in order to play all evening at a festival or party. Alternatively, `fit' could mean `suitable' rather than `healthy', so the original meaning may have been `as suitable for its purpose as a fiddle is for making music'.
send someone away with a flea in their ear
BRITISHIf you send someone away with a flea in their ear, you tell them to go away and that you are angry with them. Minnie sent Sligo away with a flea in his ear and a warning not to return. Note: This expression can be used in many different structures. For example, you can say that someone gets or is given a flea in their ear or that someone leaves or comes away with a flea their ear. All that had happened, I suspected, was that Sylvia had got a flea in her ear. Note: A flea is a small jumping insect that lives on the bodies of humans or animals and feeds on their blood.
fit as a fiddle
in very good health.fit as a flea
in very good health.The phrase makes reference to a flea's agility.
a flea in your ear
a sharp reproof.Formerly a flea in your ear also meant something that agitates or alarms you, as does the French phrase avoir la puce à l'oreille . Nowadays, it is often found in the phrases give someone a flea in the ear or send someone away with a flea in their ear .
(as) ˌfit as a ˈfiddle
(also ˌfighting ˈfit) very healthy and active: After our walking holiday, I came back feeling fit as a fiddle.with a ˈflea in your ear
if somebody sends a person away with a flea in their ear, they tell them angrily to go away: When he came to ask for his job back, we sent him away with a flea in his ear.fleabag
(ˈflibæg) n. a cheap hotel; a flophouse. Rocko never stays in fleabags. He’s too proud. Sam doesn’t care.
fleabite
n. a small chip off something. This cup has a little fleabite, but it doesn’t really harm its value.
a flea in (one's) ear
An annoying hint or a stinging rebuke.
fit as a fiddle
In excellent health, in good working order. The proverbial likening of human good health to a fiddle dates from 1600 or earlier, but there is no completely convincing explanation of the analogy. It appeared in print in the early seventeenth century and was in John Ray’s proverb collection of 1678. Fit in those days meant “appropriate,” as “fitting” still does, but why a fiddle should be considered especially appropriate is unknown. It was only in the nineteenth century that the meaning of physical fitness was attached to the expression, where it remains today.
flea in one's ear, to have a
To be upset or annoyed by a rebuke or a rejection. This term dates back at least to the fifteenth century in English, and may be older yet in French. It appeared in John Heywood’s 1546 proverb collection and has continued to be used ever since.
flea in his ear
A sharp, unwelcome rebuke. To have a flea literally inserted in your ear would be an unwanted nuisance, just as being scolded, even if deserved, would be. The British use the phrase to mean “put a bug in the ear”: to plant a suspicion. The French “put a flea in the ear” to arouse amatory feelings, hardly an aphrodisiacal image (any more than a Spanish fly would be).