ant

an ant may well destroy a whole dam

proverb A small problem can cause catastrophic damage if left unchecked. A: "I can't believe that minor leak totally rotted the floorboards in here." B: "Unfortunately, an ant may well destroy a whole dam."
See also: ant, dam, destroy, may, well, whole

ants in the/(one's) pants

Said of one who is unable to sit still, due to anxiety, excess energy, or impatience. The phrase is typically used with the verb "have." The kids really have ants in the pants today, so I'm going to take them to the playground. A: "Why is Carrie pacing?" B: "She's waiting for her doctor to call, so she's had ants in her pants all day."
See also: ant, pant

get ants in the/(one's) pants

To become unable to sit still, due to anxiety, excess energy, or impatience. The kids usually get ants in the pants today around this time of day, so I'm going to take them to the playground. A: "Why is Carrie pacing around the office?" B: "She's waiting for her doctor to call, so she's got ants in her pants."
See also: ant, get, pant

have ants in the/(one's) pants

1. To be unable to sit still, due to anxiety, excess energy, or impatience. The kids really have ants in the pants today, so I'm going to take them to the playground. A: "Why is Carrie pacing?" B: "She's waiting for her doctor to call, so she's had ants in her pants all day."
2. To be interested in or in pursuit of sexual activity. You've been single for a while now—don't you have ants in the pants yet?
See also: ant, have, pant

have got ants in the/(one's) pants

To be unable to sit still, due to anxiety, excess energy, or impatience. The kids really have got ants in the pants today, so I'm going to take them to the playground. A: "Why is Carrie pacing?" B: "She's waiting for her doctor to call, so she's got ants in her pants."
See also: ant, have, pant

pissant

1. adjective Completely worthless; too small, trivial, or unimportant to care about. Nearly 50 years of loyal service, and the only thing they give me when I retire is this pissant watch. It isn't even a Rolex! Some pissant company is trying to sue us over patent infringement. Don't they know who we are?
2. Someone who is utterly worthless, unimportant, or reprehensible. If you think I'm going to take orders from a pissant like you, you've got another think coming! I can't believe they hired that pissant to coach the team!

warrior ant

A species of ant that is known to travel in armies and capture other ants. In today's class, we will study the behavior of the warrior ant.
See also: ant, warrior
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*ants in one's pants

Fig. nervousness and agitation, (on the image of someone suffering great discomfort as if having actual ants in the pants. *Typically: get ~; have ~; give one ~.) I always get ants in my pants before a test. I wonder if all acton get ants in their pants before they go onstage.
See also: ant, pant
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

ants in one's pants, have

1. Be extremely restless, uneasy, impatient, or anxious, as in This child just can't sit still; she must have ants in her pants. This rhyming idiom calls up a vivid image of what might cause one to be jumpy. [Slang; 1920s]
2. Be eager for sexual activity, as in Bill's got ants in his pants for Rita. This usage is less common today. [Slang; 1920s]
See also: ant, have
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

have ants in your pants

INFORMAL
If someone has ants in their pants, they cannot keep still. They all had ants in their pants, incapable of sitting in their seats for more than six minutes at a stretch.
See also: ant, have, pant
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

have ants in your pants

be fidgety or restless. informal
See also: ant, have, pant
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

have ants in your pants

(informal) be unable to stay still because you are anxious or excited about something: Relax and enjoy yourself — you’ve really got ants in your pants about something tonight!
See also: ant, have, pant
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

have ants in one’s pants

tv. to be nervous and anxious. (see also antsy. Have got can replace have.) All kids’ve got ants in their pants all the time at that age.
See also: ant, have, pant

pissant

and piss-ant
1. n. a wretched and worthless person. (Often objectionable.) Look, you silly pissant, beat it!
2. mod. worthless. (Often objectionable.) I don’t want this little pissant piece of pie. Give me a real piece.

piss-ant

verb
See pissant
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

ants in (one's) pants

Slang
A state of restless impatience.
See also: ant, pant
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

ants in one's pants

Extremely restless, jumpy. This vivid metaphor no doubt has survived because of its rhyming character, just as alliteration enhanced its seventeenth-century forerunner, a breeze (gadfly) in one’s breech(es). Several twentieth-century writers are credited with popularizing the phrase; among them are George Kaufman and Moss Hart, in The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939): “I’ll get the ants out of those moonlit pants.” The cliché also gave rise to the slangy adjective antsy, for restless or jumpy.
See also: ant, pant
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • an ant may well destroy a whole dam
  • destroy
  • teach a man to fish
  • it takes a village
  • village
  • Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.
  • a trouble shared is a trouble halved
  • for want of a nail
  • For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse ...
  • the best-laid plans of mice and men
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Florida ant collects skulls of other ants as nest decor
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Ants That Sacrifice Themselves
In the spring, when the weather is still chilly, the ants will tunnel to the roots of plants.
Cowboy Ants
Ants may be small, but they have a lot going for them.
The Weird Things Ants Do
"Normally Ant goes to pick up the dog himself but this time he didn't."
ANT IN THE DOGHOUSE; Dec drops pup at star's bolthole away from wife; EXCLUSIVE
For example, mutualistic interaction between invasive ant and aphid plays a fundamental role in the establishment and spread of ant invasion (Wilder et al., 2011a).
Solenopsis invicta Suppress Native Ant by Excluding Mutual Exploitation from the Invasive Mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis
Entomologist Steven Valles, who works in CMAVE's Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Research Unit, developed novel antibodies that bind to a protein in the fire ant's venom.
Fast test identifies red imported fire ants