cobweb

n. [ Cob a spider + web. ] 1. The network spread by a spider to catch its prey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A snare of insidious meshes designed to catch the ignorant and unwary. [ 1913 Webster ]

I can not but lament thy splendid wit
Entangled in the cobwebs of the schools. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which is thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and worthless; rubbish. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dust and cobwebs of that uncivil age. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Zool.) The European spotted flycatcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cobweb lawn, a fine linen, mentioned in 1640 as being in pieces of fifteen yards. Beck. Draper's Dict. [ 1913 Webster ] Such a proud piece of cobweb lawn. Beau. & Fl. --
Cobweb micrometer, a micrometer in which threads of cobweb are substituted for wires. [ 1913 Webster ]