Darren New wrote:
> clipka wrote:
>>> I'm also pretty sure that technically, a "bug" means a germ, not an 
>>> insect. :-)
>>
>> I'm pretty sure you're wrong - except as a secondary (or, rather, 
>> tertiary) meaning. 
> 
> I meant, entomologists won't use the word in a technical conversation - 
> they will use the term "insect" or "arachnid" or whatever is 
> appropriate. Doctors, however, will refer to infectious microbes as 
> "bugs" to distinguish them from non-infectious microbes. (Just like 
> someone programming computers won't refer to a program correctly 
> following specs that differ from what the customer actually wanted "a 
> bug", even if the customers might call it that.)
> 
> Of course informally a "bug" is a small insect-like creature.
> 
The true bugs are hemiptera, IIRC, and if I can spell.  Been a long time 
since I've had to think about proper bug terms.

Rich

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