bug
n.— «The Boston terrier-pug mix, a combination affectionately known as a “bug,” was a recent arrival at the Moncton SPCA.» —“Who’s stealing Moncton’s dogs?” by Oliver Moore Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada) July 15, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Jamie from Calais, Vermont, says an unfortunate experience with an insect made her wonder about the expression to put a bug in your ear or put a bug in one’s ear, meaning “to make a strong, insistent suggestion to someone.” An...
Cecily from Indianapolis, Indiana, recalls her North Carolina-born grandmother would describe someone doing something stupid as being crazy as a betsy bug. The phrase alludes to the horned beetle, also known as the patent-leather beetle, a large...