stinger

Everyday

1. A stinger is the sharp part on an insect or animal, such as a bee, wasp or scorpion, that it uses to sting. tree →
2. A stinger can be an animal or plant that stings, like a stinging jellyfish (Australia) or a nettle. tree →
3. (informal) A stinger is a painful hit, remark or ending, something that «stings». tree →

In the lessons

In science and nature lessons, children learn that bees, wasps, scorpions and stingrays have stingers for defence. In safety lessons, you learn to scrape out a bee stinger gently and to tell an adult. In Australia, «stingers» often means box jellyfish and other stinging jellyfish in the sea in summer. Phrases: «the bee's stinger», «stinger suit», «stinger season» (Australia).

Examples

• A honeybee leaves its stinger in your skin. tree →
• Mum scraped the stinger out with a bank card. tree →
• A scorpion's stinger is at the end of its tail. tree →
• The stingray's stinger is on its tail. tree →
• We wore stinger suits when we swam at the beach in Queensland. tree →
• The wasp waved its stinger at us. tree →
• That last goal was a real stinger for the other team. tree →
• Only female bees and wasps have stingers. tree →
• Fionn would run his best to get away from that prickly stinger, but how he would run when it was his turn to deal the strokes! tree →

Note

Countable. Myth: all bees die after stinging — only honeybees usually do, because their barbed stinger gets stuck; wasps and bumblebees can sting again. The word for the injury is «a sting», not «a stinger».