What is "beach flea"

Flea \Flea\, n. [OE. fle, flee, AS. fle['a], fle['a]h; akin to D. vtoo, OHG. fl[=o]h, G. floh, Icel. fl[=o], Russ. blocha; prob. from the root of E. flee. [root]84. See Flee.] (Zo["o]l.) An insect belonging to the genus Pulex, of the order Aphaniptera. Fleas are destitute of wings, but have the power of leaping energetically. The bite is poisonous to most persons. The human flea ( Pulex irritans), abundant in Europe, is rare in America, where the dog flea ( Ctenocephalides canis, formerly Pulex canis) and the smaller cat flea ( Ctenocephalides felis) take its place. See Aphaniptera, and Dog flea. See Illustration in Appendix.

A flea in the ear, an unwelcome hint or unexpected reply, annoying like a flea; an irritating repulse; as, to put a flea in one's ear; to go away with a flea in one's ear.

Beach flea, Black flea, etc. See under Beach, etc.

Beach \Beach\ (b[=e]ch), n.; pl. Beaches (-[e^]z). [Cf. Sw. backe hill, Dan. bakke, Icel. bakki hill, bank. Cf. Bank.]

1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle.

2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is washed by the waves; especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the strand.

   Beach flea (Zo["o]l.), the common name of many species of amphipod Crustacea, of the family Orchestid[ae], living on the sea beaches, and leaping like fleas.

   Beach grass (Bot.), a coarse grass ( Ammophila arundinacea), growing on the sandy shores of lakes and seas, which, by its interlaced running rootstocks, binds the sand together, and resists the encroachment of the waves.

   Beach wagon, a light open wagon with two or more seats.

   Raised beach, an accumulation of water-worn stones, gravel, sand, and other shore deposits, above the present level of wave action, whether actually raised by elevation of the coast, as in Norway, or left by the receding waters, as in many lake and river regions.

n. Any of various amphipod crustaceans of the family ''Talitridae'', which live on sea beaches and jump like fleas.

n. small amphipod crustaceans that hop like fleas; common on ocean beaches [syn: sand hopper, sandhopper, sand flea]