deathwatch beetle

• Pequeño escarabajo perforador de la madera (Xestobium rufovillosum), conocido por el sonido de golpeteo que emite dentro de la madera; históricamente se consideraba un presagio de muerte. La frase también se usa metafóricamente para referirse a una persona o fenómeno que anuncia ruina o catástrofe.

A small wood-boring beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) known for the tapping sound it makes inside wood, which was historically considered an omen of death. The phrase is also used metaphorically to refer to a person or thing that seems to herald doom or disaster.

1. Wood-boring insectC1formal

   A small brown beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) whose larvae bore into wood, often found in old buildings and furniture.

   escarabajo de la carcoma

   • The deathwatch beetle is a common pest in historic timber-framed houses.
   • Infestations of the deathwatch beetle can cause significant structural damage.
   • The tapping sound of the deathwatch beetle is a mating call.