When proffered by an educator speaking from a position of power within academia, to describe a junior colleague as a "gadfly" without giving context is 1. poor praxis, 2. leaves too much room for different definitions/ interpretations, and or 3. was likely intentionally without context met to be dismissive and likely condescending, ie, damning with faint praise. [ At a certain point in his defense, Socrates refers to himself as a gadfly as a way of representing the fact that his philosophical investigations are annoying but necessary to the moral health of Athens.Feb 2, 2019 https://www.litcharts.com/lit/apology/symbols/the-gadfly#:~:text=At%20a%20certain%20point%20in,the%20moral%20health%20of%20Athens. ]