maggot

 
Pronunciation: /ˈmagət/

noun

  • 1a soft-bodied legless larva of a fly or other insect, found in decaying matter: the maggots attack the roots of the developing cabbages
  • 2 archaic a whimsical or strange idea.

Phrases

act the maggot

Irish informal behave in a foolishly playful way: we’d all walk in a line behind him, acting the maggot, you know, imitating him

Origin:

late Middle English: perhaps an alteration of dialect maddock, from Old Norse mathkr, of Germanic origin