firebug
nounEtymology From fire + bug.
1
Pyrrhocoris apterus, a common red and black insect, that is the type species of the family Pyrrhocoridae.
2
Slang A pyromaniac or arsonist.
- But the firebug allegedly ran back inside yelling before he finally took off.2024 August 9, Gabriella Bass, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon and Joe Marino, “Firebug accused of torching NYC building, injuring 9 is freed without bail, back in neighborhood”, in New York Post:
- In the video, she can be heard explaining to the firebugs that she has been working with victims of the wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate.2025 January 12, Jared Downing, “TikToker captures careless idiots releasing lantern balloons on Southern California beach as LA burns: ‘ Do you even know what’s happening?’”, in New York Post: