Meanings
- datedA daddy longlegs.
The fly produced from the grub in question is known by the common names of Tom Taylor, Tommy Longlegs, or Father Longlegs
1806, The British Critic2 more examples
The Crane-Fly, called by Aldrovand Culex maximus, by Swammerdam Tipula terrestris, and by the common People Father-long-Legs, affords, in every Part of it, agreeable Subjects of Examination
1742, Henry Baker, The Microscope Made Easy: or […]Such a glare […] was as sure to excite notice and attract passengers, as a flaming candle every moth and father-longlegs in its neighbourhood.
1928, Beckford, William, The Travel-Diaries of William Beckford of Fonthill
Cite this entry
father longlegs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/father%20longlegs
“father longlegs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/father%20longlegs. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “father longlegs,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/father%20longlegs.
Source: father longlegs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.