yellow jacket

any of several paper wasps of the family Vespidae, having black and bright yellow bands.

Slang. a yellow capsule of phenobarbital.

Origin of yellow jacket

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

An' 'en my papa dropped it 's if it was a yellow-jacket an' he said, great big an' loud, 'Money!

Emerson's Wife and Other Western Stories |Florence Finch Kelly
Thereafter I dived and hopped like a frog through the brush and water, until I came out beyond that yellow-jacket barrage.

Everyday Adventures |Samuel Scoville
A yellow-jacket has found an ambrosial attraction here upon the bramble leaf.

My Studio Neighbors |William Hamilton Gibson
Now once in a while a babe is found hard to wean; the same may be said of a yellow-jacket.

On a Donkey's Hurricane Deck |R. Pitcher Woodward

The Professor was powerless, but lay in Tim's arms biting, kicking, and curled up like a yellow-jacket interested with an enemy.

Lippincott's Magazine, August, 1885 |Various

yellow jacket

US and Canadian any of several social wasps of the genus Vespa, having yellow markings on the body