Crane fly, daddy-lang-legs, Jennie-lang-legs, lang-leggit-tailor, Peter-lang-shanks
- daddy-long-legs, cranefly. As irritating as the adult can be, fluttering around the bedside light, the young is even more of a pest. Known in north-east Scots as a torie, it can do considerable damage to crops. It should be noted that this word comes from Gaelic toran 'the borer' and bears no etymological relationship whatsoever to any similar-sounding political supporter. There is a helpful reference in James Arbuthnot's recommendations for treating the soil (1735):
That destructive animal called the Tory... If the soil be inclined to tory-eat, it should be turned over as soon as possible after frosty weather.