"daddy longlegs" means: Any (non-spider) arachnid of the order , mostly with long thin legs.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
daddy longlegs
(Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US) Any (non-spider) arachnid of the order , mostly with long thin legs.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1810 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
(Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US) Any (non-spider) arachnid of the order , mostly with long thin legs.
"daddy longlegs" means: Any (non-spider) arachnid of the order , mostly with long thin legs.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"daddy longlegs" means: Any (non-spider) arachnid of the order , mostly with long thin legs.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (New Zealand) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Comments
(loosely) The daddy long-legs spider, any spider of the family .
Comments
(UK, Ireland) The cranefly; any insect of the suborder .
Daddy longlegs adults are weak flyers, falling onto the water surface in the lightest of breezes, and even on calm days.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Semantically related
- shepherd spider72%
(UK, dated, or, dialectal) harvestman, daddy longlegs.
- spider64%
Any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order , most of which spin webs to catch prey.
- jenny-longlegs64%
Scottish term for the cranefly — the long-legged, spindly flying insect that blunders around rooms and terrifies people far out of proportion to its actual harmlessness. In England it's called a daddy-longlegs; in Scotland jenny-longlegs is the preferred form. Jenny is a traditional diminutive female name used in many British animal nicknames. Either way, it's a large, ungainly insect that nobody wants landing on their face.