In an earlier episode, we talked about those huge insects known as gallon-nippers.We heard from Dell Suggs in Tallahassee, Florida, who says he knows them simply as gallinippers. This term for a really large mosquito goes back to the early 1700s, and plenty of variations, like granny-nipper, have been tossed about. What do you call those mosquitoes the size of a racquetball where you live? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Names for Big Mosquitos”
Remember when Kathy called us from someplace in the south and she wanted to talk about names for big mosquitoes?
Yes.
And remember one of them was gallon nipper and we were laughing about the idea that they nip you and take out a gallon?
Well, it turns out that Del Suggs wrote us from Tallahassee, and he says that gallinipper is actually a term for a really large mosquito.
That’s G-A-L-L-I-N-I-P-P-E-R.
They’re called gallinippers.
And so I looked this up, and it turns out that there are all kinds of variations of gallinipper, this name that goes back to the early 1700s,
Like gallinipper, gullinapper, gurnipper, ganipper, gabber-nabber, galleywhopper, and grannynipper.
Granny nipper.
Got to have an extra sharp beak for that.
That’s saurophora ciliata.
That’s the name of the insect.
So how big is this thing?
The size of a robin?
Boy, I saw some photographs online.
Almost.
Really?
Almost as big as a robin.
Not quite, but they’re bigger than mosquitoes.
They are nasty.
Well, send us your nasty language, 877-929-9673, or email words@waywordradio.org, and find
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