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On the origins of the term "gadfly"
Reader Sheila Byrd passed on this tidbit from Wordsmith's "A Word A Day."
gadfly (GAD-fly) noun
1. One who persistently annoys.
2. Any of the various types of flies that bite livestock.
[From gad (a goad for cattle), from Middle English, from Old Norse gaddr.]
"Despite his stern image, (Jean) Drapeau loved gossip and bawdy, sometimes silly jokes. Because of that he became close friends with a vocal critic, opposition councillor and gadfly Nick Auf der Maur."
Anthony Wilson-Smith, The Monumental Mayor, Maclean's (Toronto), Aug 23, 1999.
Linguaphiles can find out more at http://www.wordsmith.org.