It's Merriam-Webster's word of the day for May 28th.

Today's word is GAD Fly, spelled as one word GADFly Y. GAD Fly is a noun. In literal use,

GAD Fly refers to any of various flies such as horse fly, Botfly, or Warblefly that bite or annoy

livestock. Gadfly is most popular in figurative use, however, where it refers to someone

who provokes or annoys other people, especially by persistent

criticism.

Here's the word used in a sentence from the LA Times.

For years, the LA County Board of Supervisors has regularly had a performance evaluation scheduled for closed session on its agenda.

Any reporter or Gadfly worth their salt knew this was actually just a time for the board to call a department head onto the carpet and scream at them behind closed doors.

It's easy to guess what puts the fly in Gad Fly, in its oldest

meaning, Fly refers to a winged insect. But Gadzooks, what about the Gad?

As a standalone English word, Gad means chisel, but at once could be used for a spike, spear, or rod

for goading cattle.

It was in the 16th century that Gad was joined with Fly to refer to

any of several insects that bother livestock. Before too long English speakers

began applying Gad Fly to people who annoy or provoke others.

One of history's most famous Gadflies was the philosopher Socrates, who was known for his constant

questioning of his fellow Athenians ethics, misconceptions, and assumptions.

In his apology, Plato describes Socrates characterization of Athens as a large and sluggish horse and of Socrates himself

as the fly that bites and rouses it. Many translations use Gadfly in this portion of the apology and Socrates is sometimes

referred to as the Gadfly of Athens. With your word of the day I'm Peter

Sokolowski. Visit Marion Webster.com today for definitions, word play, and trending word lookups.

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