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earwig

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earwig

The insect Foricula auricularia , of the order Dermaptera , whose popular name derives from the widely held idea that it can burrow its way into the head after entering the ear and cause untold damage to the brain. Earwigs do occasionally enter the external auditory canal but are prevented by the eardrum from proceeding further. They can easily be floated out by instilling a little oil.
Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005
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Earwigging on conversations and jail sentences simply for being in a gang will send a ripple of paranoia through the underworld.
But for local earwigging journalists this is nothing new.
I tried hard to concentrate but I was uncomfortably aware of people earwigging at nearby tables.
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