cockroach
nounUS /ˈkɑkɹoʊt͡ʃ/ · UK /ˈkɒkɹəʊt͡ʃ/
Etymology From Spanish cucaracha, from cuca (“butterfly caterpillars”), of onomatopoeic origin; see also Greek κόκκυξ (kókkux) and Late Latin cucus. Influenced, by means of folk etymology, by cock and roach. Doublet of cucaracha.
1
Any black or brown straight-winged insect of the order Blattodea that is not a termite.
- Then there were cockroach hunts; we chased them out of their haunts, where at night they busily devoured currants, jam, and sugar; in fact their diet was far more varied than ours, for they made plentiful meals off our boots, the coverings of our books, and any stray pieces of flannel that came in their way.1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 121:
2
Derogatory, Slang Term of abuse.
- I want a divorce, you cockroach!
3
Derogatory, Offensive, Slang A person or a member of a group of people regarded as undesirable and rapidly procreating.
- During the Rwandan genocide, Hutu genocidaires labelled Tutsis as cockroaches and called for their extermination.
4
Australia, Derogatory, Especially, Humorous, Slang, Used in rugby league A person from New South Wales.
- Derived terms
39 terms
amber forest cockroach, amber wood cockroach, American cockroach, Asiatic cockroach, Australian cockroach, Australian wood cockroach, brown-banded cockroach, brown cockroach, cockroachicide, cockroachlike, cockroach of the sea, cockroach taxi, cockroach theory, cockroach wasp, cockroachy, death's head cockroach, emerald cockroach wasp, Florida woods cockroach, German cockroach, giant burrowing cockroach, giant cockroach, Gisborne cockroach, greenhouse cockroach, hissing cockroach, Japanese cockroach, kikeroach, Madagascar hissing cockroach, Madeira cockroach, oriental cockroach, Pennsylvanian cockroach, Pennsylvania wood cockroach, red runner cockroach, rhinoceros cockroach, roach, rusty red cockroach, smokybrown cockroach, Surinam cockroach, Turkestan cockroach, Turkroach