gossamer
n[U]
1 fine silky substance of webs made by small spiders, floating in calm air or spread over grass, etc 蛛絲; 游絲.
2 (fig esp rhet 比喻, 尤作修辭) soft light delicate material 輕而軟的精細(xì)材料
a veil spun of the finest gossamer 精紡的面紗
[attrib 作定語(yǔ)]
the gossamer wings of a fly 薄如輕紗的蠅翅.
Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch.