angleworm

American  

[ang-guhl-wurm] / ˈæŋ gəlˌwɜrm /

noun

Chiefly Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S.

1. an earthworm, as used for bait in angling.

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angleworm British  

/ ˈæŋɡəlˌwɜːm /

noun

1. an earthworm used as bait by anglers

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Regionalisms

See earthworm.

Etymology

Origin of angleworm

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; angle ² + worm

Example Sentences

He also offered to eat a bug for a nickel, an angleworm for a dime and a beetle for a quarter.

From Time Magazine Archive

It considered the mysteries and incantations of fishing, from spitting on angleworm segments to affixing trout cosmetics and bass liniments.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hemmed in by salt marshes, clinging to the angleworm course of the chocolate-colored Hooghly River, the city of Calcutta's 4,000,000 people inhabit an area about half the size of the District of Columbia.

From Time Magazine Archive

Faced by a committee of angleworm lovers, Carroll Kjellman ... admitted he planted strips of rubber in the soil.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was only the hens looking for something to eat—a bit of grain amid the straw, or perhaps an angleworm.

From The Tale of Chirpy Cricket by Bailey, Arthur Scott