daddy longlegs
Spindly cellar dweller
Daddy longlegs refers to several different long-legged creatures depending on region.
In North America, it usually means a harvestman—an arachnid related to spiders but with a compact body and extraordinarily long, thin legs.
In Britain, daddy longlegs typically means a crane fly, a gangly flying insect.
The name also applies to cellar spiders in some areas.
All share the distinctive spindly legs that inspired the folksy name.
Long-legged arachnid, not spider
- cellar spiderLong-legged basement arachnid
- eight-leggedPossessing four pairs of limbs
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
invertebrate · molting · cephalothorax · omnivore · scavenger · aggregation · cluster · woodland floor
Traditional explanatory tale
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- old wives taleUnverified traditional belief
- urban legendUnverified viral story
misnomer · misidentification · vernacular · common name · confusion · superstition · childhood · backyard
Tipulid with gangly legs
- mosquito hawkLeggy harmless flying insect
- leatherjacketCrane fly's immature stage
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- compound eyesMulti-lensed visual organs
diptera · nectar-feeding · wetlands · meadows · gangly · lawn pest · proboscis · thorax
Thin and fragile-looking
- ganglyAwkwardly tall and thin
- wispyThin and insubstantial
- fragileEasily broken or damaged
- slenderThin and graceful
threadlike · gossamer · tenuous · frail · dainty · graceful · fine · leggy
Disturbingly strange
- spookyUnsettlingly strange
- uncannyEerily beyond normal
- unsettlingCausing unease or discomfort
- crawlingMoving on hands, knees
skittering · shadowy · nocturnal · lurking · cobwebbed · basement · attic · unexpected
Producing no poison
- docileEasily controlled or taught
- gentleSoft and kind
- benignNot harmful or threatening
- inoffensiveCausing no displeasure
unthreatening · safe · innocuous · beneficial · pest control · misunderstood · nontoxic · friendly
harvestman
Long-legged arachnid, not spider
- cellar spiderLong-legged basement arachnid
- eight-leggedPossessing four pairs of limbs
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
exoskeleton · invertebrate · molting · cephalothorax · omnivore · scavenger · aggregation · cluster · woodland floor · leaf litter
myth
Traditional explanatory tale
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- old wives taleUnverified traditional belief
urban legend · misnomer · misidentification · vernacular · common name · confusion · superstition · childhood · backyard · summer
crane fly
Tipulid with gangly legs
- mosquito hawkLeggy harmless flying insect
- leatherjacketCrane fly's immature stage
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
diptera · compound eyes · nectar-feeding · wetlands · meadows · gangly · lawn pest · proboscis · thorax · abdomen
spindly
Thin and fragile-looking
slender · threadlike · gossamer · tenuous · frail · dainty · graceful · fine · leggy · willowy
creepy
Disturbingly strange
- spookyUnsettlingly strange
- uncannyEerily beyond normal
- unsettlingCausing unease or discomfort
crawling · skittering · shadowy · nocturnal · lurking · cobwebbed · basement · attic · unexpected · startle
nonvenomous
Producing no poison
inoffensive · unthreatening · safe · innocuous · beneficial · pest control · misunderstood · nontoxic · friendly
- house spidershouse spider, common house spider, giant house spider, cellar spider, false widow
- crane fliescrane fly, crane flies, mosquito hawk
- harvestmenharvestman, harvestmen
- arachnidsspider, spiders, arachnid, scorpion, scorpions
- arthropodsarthropod, arthropods, Arthropoda, insects, insect
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
daddy longlegsblack widow
Lethal spider species
brown recluse · funnel-web spider · tarantula · redback spider · wolf spider