dew worm n
1 = earthworm n. [OED2 dew-worm (in this sense) 1598→; the paucity of early exx and the geographical distribution suggest that US use is mainly due to borrowing from Canadian English and the adoption of this as a technical term from English angling literature.] chiefly Nth, IL See Map
1842 New Engl. Farmer & Horticult. Reg. 21.1/2 csCT, True, the birds sometimes catch a harmless dew worm, but the dew worms never eat or injure our vegetables or our fruits, that I know of. 1910 Clyde Enterprise (OH) [14 Apr 5]/2, Notice: No dew-worm hunting by men or boys allowed on the premises of G. D. Cleveland. 1919 Kenosha Eve. News (WI) 19 Aug 3/3, We’re looking for dew-worms. We’re going fishin’ if we find any. 1932 Belvidere Daily Republican (IL) 6 June 5/2, This is again the season when many of our best citizens go puttering around [i]n the lawns and gardens at night with flashl[i]ghts trying to catch dew-worms. 1935 Seattle Star (WA) 22 Oct 1/6, “I caught 800 dew-worms last night,” explained Seattle’s chief worm gatherer. . . “My select clientele of fishermen pays 25 cents for two dozen dew-worms and the same price for 60 angleworms.” 1943 LANE Map 236 csVT, Dew worm found in the morning. 1950 WELS (Common worm used for bait) 1 Inf, cnWI, Dew worm. 1951 AmSp 26.255, New York State occurrences of . . dew worm . . are found predominantly in communities near the border, where it is reasonable to suspect Canadian influence. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. P5, . . The common worm used as bait) 11 Infs, scattered Gt Lakes, Dew worm; (Qu. P6, Other kinds of worms also used as bait) 13 Infs, scattered Gt Lakes, Dew worm. 1973 Allen LAUM 1.326 (as of c1950), Earthworm. . . Dew worm, not reported in New England or along the Atlantic coast, is considered an innovation by two of the three Duluth infs. using it. Ibid, In the data from 1,045 mail respondents[:] Dew worm . . turns up not only in Minnesota near the Canadian border . . but also six times in Iowa in both Northern and Midland speech territory. 1999 Muscatine Jrl. (IA) 21 Sept sec C 1/1, Trayven Wayne Howard, Muscatine, is still catching nice bluegill from the Weed Park Lagoon. He uses dew-worm segments purchased at the worm store, fished under a float in two feet of water. 2012 NW Herald (Crystal Lake IL) 12 Apr sec B 6/5, “Pops” was a wonderful father, who enjoyed weekends at Lake Summe[r]set with the family, dew-worm picking, doughnut shops, local restaurants, fishing, working on cars with friends, .. and traveling. 2023 Pantagraph (Bloomington IL) 29 June sec B 2/3, Leadership is seeing fishing as more than sitting on a bucket with a glob of dew worms and recognizes enhancing access and management of our lakes as a positive for future generations.
2 Ringworm or a similar condition of the scalp. [Either loan translation of Du dauwworm, or a folk-etym var of the direct borrowing dow worm n] NEast obs
1792 Diary Loudon’s Reg. (NY NY) 17 July 1/1, [Advt:] Also to be sold at the above places, an ointment, made by the maker of the above, an infallible cure for the dew-worm, scald head, and other eruptions of the kind. 1813 Smith Indian Doctor’s Dispensatory 88, No. 73. For the Dew-worm, or child’s sore head. Take one spoonful of tar, one spoonful of the scraping of a copper kettle [etc]. . . Anoint the child’s head once a-day until it is well, and let him wear the same cap. . . Note—No. 73 and No. 74 are old Dutch receipts, that have often been proved. 1821 Harrisburg Chronicle (PA) 15 Jan 1/1, [Advt:] Among young persons, croup, (or the bold hives,) . . scald-head, (or dew worm,) the sprue, and worms, &c. &c. 1826 NY Eve. Post (NY) [4 Nov 4]/5, [Advt:] This invaluable Salve . . is now publicly offered for a fair and impartial trial. Its many virtues have been fully tested in removing the Dewworm, and other sores of the head, to which children are liable. 1851 Springfield Daily Republican (MA) [8 Feb 3]/4, [Advt:] It will cure all diseases of the scalp, such as scald head, dew worm, and other obnoxious disorders of the skin. . . It is sold in large bottles . . at the druggists’ generally throughout the United States and Canada. [DARE ed: This ointment was widely advertised, esp in NEng and NY; the company that made it was based in NYC.]