flittermouse

American  

[flit-er-mous] / ˈflɪt ərˌmaʊs /

noun

plural

flittermice

1. bat.

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flittermouse British  

/ ˈflɪtəˌmaʊs /

noun

1. a dialect name for bat 2

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Etymology

Origin of flittermouse

1540–50; flitter ¹ + mouse; calque of German Fledermaus

Example Sentences

In at least sixteen dialects a flittermouse means “a bat.”

From English Dialects From the Eighth Century to the Present Day by Skeat, Walter W. (Walter William)

However, in some parts of the country the bat is still called by its old English name, "the flittermouse," that is, the mouse that flitters, or flutters about.

From The Squirrels and other animals Illustrations of the habits and instincts of many of the smaller British quadrupeds by Waring, George

From out the wood I watched them shine,—   The windows of the haunted house, Now ruddy as enchanted wine,   Now dark as flittermouse.

From Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes Volume II. by De la Mare, Walter

Now how this plan of my Lord Prince's worked in the Palace of Plassenburg I find it difficult to tell without writing myself down a "painted flittermouse," as the Prince expressed it.

From Red Axe by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

Over all the jackdaws chime and chatter, for it is their home now, and they share it with the owl and the flittermouse.

From A West Country Pilgrimage by Phillpots, Eden