Long-legged slender flies that resemble large mosquitoes but do not bite; SYN. daddy longlegs. cranefly, crane-fly
Or daddy-longlegs; Any fly of the family Tipulidae, with long, slender, fragile legs. They look like giant mosquitoes, but the adults are quite harmless. The larvae live in soil or water.

ETYM AS. gnaet.
1. British usage.
2. Any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies.
Any of various small flies of the order Diptera, that sometimes suck blood. In Britain, mosquitoes are often called gnats.