deathwatch beetle
US /ˈdeθwɑːtʃ ˌbiːtl/
UK /ˈdeθwɑːtʃ ˌbiːtl/
1.
a type of beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) that makes a ticking sound by banging its head against wood, often associated with old timber in houses and formerly believed to foretell death
:
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The old house was infested with deathwatch beetles, their ticking a constant reminder of decay.
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The carpenter identified the strange tapping sound as coming from a deathwatch beetle.