▪ I. louse, n.
(laʊs)
Pl. lice (laɪs). Forms: 1 l{uacu}s, luus, 3 luse, 4 lous, 4–5 lowce, 4–7 lows(e, 6– louse. pl. 1 l{yacu}s, 4–5 luys, 4–6 lys(e, (4 lyes(e, -yse, 5 lies(e, lise), 6 Sc. lyiss, 4–7 lyce, 6– lice.
[A Com. Teut. fem. cons.-stem: OE. l{uacu}s = MLG., MDu. lûs (Du. luis), OHG., MHG. lûs (mod.G. laus), ON. l{uacu}s (Da., Sw. lus).]
1. a. A parasitic insect of the genus Pediculus, infesting the human hair and skin and causing great irritation by its presence. Applied also to the numerous other kinds of insects parasitic on mammals, birds, and plants, and to the degraded crustaceans which infest fishes: often with qualification, as bird-louse, fish-louse, plant-louse, sea-louse.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) P. 310 Peducla, luus. c 1000 Hexam. Basil xvii. (1849) 24 Hine byton lys. c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 192 He afylde eal heora land mid..hundes lusum. a 1300 Sarmun v. in E.E.P. (1862) 1 Of þi schuldres and of þi side þou miȝte hunti luse and flee. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 651 Þou forth bringes of þi-self here Nites, lyse, and other vermyn sere. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 196 A tauny tabarde of twelue wynter age..ful of lys crepynge. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 387 Arnulphus..[was] destroyed, and i-ȝete with luys riȝt to þe deth. 1460–70 Bk. Quintessence 19 Medicyn..for to distrie lies þat ben engendrid of corrupt humouris. 1597 Beard Theatre God's Judgem. (1612) 389 In time it corrupted his flesh, and turned into lice. 1615 Latham Falconry (1633) Words explained, Lice, are a small kinde of white vermine, running amongst the feathers of the Hawke. 1673 Phil. Trans. VIII. 6038 In a Lowse I observe indeed..a short tapering nose with a hole in it. 1732 Arbuthnot Rules of Diet i. 247 It has always been believed that the immoderate use of them [sc. Figs] generates Lice. 1802 Bingley Anim. Biog. (1813) III. 345 When we examine the human Louse with the microscope, its external deformity strikes us with disgust. 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa 253 Sleep impossible—mosquitoes! lice!! |
b. In phrases and proverbs (mostly
obs.), chiefly as a type of something worthless or contemptible, as
not worth a louse,
not to care (three skips of) a louse.
† to prick a louse, to be a tailor.
| 1588 Greene Alcida (1617) I 2, Lest thy..Logike prooue not worth a lowse. 1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. i. iii. (end), Care 'll kill a cat, vp-tailes all, and a louse for the hang-man. 1633 ― Tale Tub ii. i, I care not, I, Sir, not three skips of a Lowse for you. 1630 Articles agst. Cosin in C.'s Corr. etc. (Surtees) I. 198 Many yeares before John Cosin could tell how to prick a lowse in his fathers shopp at Norwich. 1678 Otway Friendship in F. 50 The very poets themselves that were wont to stand in awe of me, care not a louse for me now. 1699 Swift Mrs. Harris's Petit., 'Tis not that I value the money three skips of a louse. 1749 Chesterfield Lett. (1792) II. cxciii. 219, I..don't care a louse if I never see it again. 1785 Burns Addr. to Deil xi, When the best wark-lume i' the house..Is instant made no worth a louse. 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xii, I say, Mr. Gossett, have you got the spirit of a louse? |
2. transf. Applied in scorn to human beings.
| 1633 Costlie Whore i. ii. in Bullen O. Pl. IV, Come away, fellow louse, thou art ever eating. 1901 R. Kipling Kim i. 25 Why hast thou allowed this louse Lutuf to live so long? |
3. attrib. and
Comb., as
louse-mite;
louse-berry (tree),
Euonymus europæus;
louse-borne a., of diseases: transmitted by lice;
louse-burr,
Xanthium strumarium;
louse-disease,
phthiriasis;
louse-land (
slang), Scotland;
† louse-powder, powder for destroying lice;
† louse-pricking, tailoring, also
attrib.;
† louse-seed, ? fleabane;
louse-trap dial. and
slang, a comb.;
lousewort,
† (
a) Stinking Hellebore,
Helleborus fœtidus; (
b) any plant of the genus
Pedicularis,
esp. P. palustris and
P. sylvatica; (
c) Yellow Rattle,
Rhinanthus Cristagalli; (
d)
Delphinium Staphisagria (Britten & Holland).
| 1866 Treas. Bot., *Louseberry-Tree, Euonymus europæus. |
| 1919 W. Byam et al. (title) Trench fever: a *louse-borne disease. 1942 Times 21 Sept. 5/3 Typhus, which is louse-borne,..was overcome by active measures of disinfestation. 1964 M. Hynes Med. Bacteriol. (ed. 8) xxi. 322 Trep. recurrentis obermeieri is typical of the louse-borne disease. 1970 Control of Communicable Dis. in Man (Amer. Public Health Assoc.) (ed. 11) 275 (heading) Typhus-fever, epidemic louse-borne. 1974 Passmore & Robson Compan. Med. Stud. III. xii. 75/1 Louse-borne relapsing fever is a disease of cold weather. |
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens i. viii. 14 Xanthium, *Louse Burre, or the lesser Clote. |
| 1879 J. R. Reynolds Syst. Med. V. 973 *Louse-disease..may last indefinitely if unchecked. |
| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, *Louse-land, Scotland. |
| 1877 Murray List Coll. Econ. Entomol. 14 Sarcoptidæ (Itch and *Louse Mites). |
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens iii. xxxix. 372 This herbe is called..in base Almaigne Luyscruyt, and the seede made into powder Luysepouder, that is to say, *Lousepowder. |
| 1710 London's Medicinal Informer 53 His Father's *Louse-pricking Trade, i.e. Tayloring. 1756 W. Toldervy Hist. 2 Orphans I. 164 It would be well for you, if you'd stay at home, and mind your louse-pricking. |
| c 1265 Voc. Plants in Wr.-Wülcker 559/6 Psilliun, *lusesed. |
| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, A Scotch *Louse-trap, a Comb. [See Eng. Dial. Dict.] |
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens iii. xxvi. 351 *Louswurt..Fuchsius counteth for a kinde of blacke hellebor. 1597 Gerarde Herbal ii. ccccxxi. 913 Of red Rattle, or Lousewoort. 1756 J. Hill Brit. Herbal 120 Our farmers have an opinion that sheep feeding on them [Coxcombs] become subject to vermin, whence the English name lousewort. 1901 Speaker 21 Sept. 692/2 Yellow louse-worts. |
▪ II. louse, v. (
laʊz)
Also 5
lowsyn, 6
lowze, 6–7
louze,
lowse.
[f. louse n.] 1. a. trans. To clear of lice, remove lice from (a person, oneself, a garment).
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 316/2 Lowsyn, pediculo. 1514 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. (Percy Soc.) 11 Efte was she busy, them lowsynge and kemynge. 1596 Spenser State Irel. Wks. (Globe) 631/2 Howe handsome it is to lye and sleepe, or to lowze themselves in the sunn-shine. 1596 Lodge Wits Miserie (1879) 112 Goe wretche as thou art and louse thyselfe. 1663 Pepys Diary 6 June, To York House, where the Russia Embassador do lie: and there I saw his people go up and down louseing themselves. 1795 S. Hearne Journ. to N. Ocean 325 He frequently set five or six of his strapping wives to work to louse their hairy deer-skin shifts. 1822 E. D. Clarke Trav. Russia (1839) 52/1 [They] were lousing each other; and it surprised us that they did not discontinue their work..as we entered. 1824 Edin. Rev. XL. 482 Prince Potemkin..used to louse himself at dinner. |
| fig. 1596 Nashe Saffron Walden 15, I haue here tooke the paines to nit and louze ouer the Doctours booke. |
b. intr. for refl.| 1570 in Levins Manip. 225/2 [printed Bouse]. 1655 tr. Com. Hist. Francion 27 That little Beggers brat..was taken not long since lowsing under a hedge. 1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 27 We beg'd together, lay together and louz'd together. 1727 Somerville Fable xiv. iii. 119 A tailor despicably poor, In every hole for shelter crept, On the same bulk, botch'd, lous'd, and slept. |
2. intr. To be infested with lice.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1605 Shakes. Lear iii. ii. 29 The Codpiece that will house, before the head has any; The Head, and he shall Lowse. |
3. a. With
up. To infest with lice.
orig. U.S.| 1931 San Francisco Examiner 29 Jan. 34/4 Lousey, now fixed in Broadway actor jargon, is from small time troupers... The Maine tavern keeper who refused lodging to a repertoire company..explained: ‘The last troupe loused up the beddin'.’ 1931 Gang World Jan. 14 The precinct was fumigated yesterday, an' you ain't gonna louse it up again. 1955 R. P. Hobson Nothing too Good for Cowboy i. 15, I got loused up in that cabin once. 1968 Listener 9 May 601/2, I was occasionally loused-up myself, and people, rather than pass me, used to go on the other side of the road. |
b. slang. To spoil, to mess up. Const.
up. Also
loused-up a. orig. U.S.| 1934 J. O'Hara Appointment in Samarra ii. 61 There's fifty bucks in it for you on account of lousing up your date. 1938 Amer. Speech XIII. 195 Louse up the show. 1948 Sat. Even. Post 25 Sept. 41 The hospital field is loused up enough. 1957 F. & R. Lockridge Practise to Deceive (1959) ii. 29 Of all the loused-up operations. 1958 E. Dundy Dud Avocado ii. i. 185 He said if I'm really serious about getting a part..the easiest way to louse it up would be to turn up with a hundred other people. 1959 Tamarack Rev. xii. 24 What a way to louse up this new magenta outfit... You'd think she'd spent her afternoon at a Yiddish tear-jerker. 1959 ‘S. Ransome’ I'll die for You x. 119 Had a rough time getting her to come back... Damned if I'll let you louse me up now. 1967 [see next]. 1969 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 10 Jan. 38/2 It is safe to predict that President-elect Nixon will look for some outstanding public figure for this job, even though it may louse up the table of organization. 1972 Human World Nov. 48 If..he tries to sabotage his actions—he louses up a machine he is purporting to work, for example [etc.]. 1973 R. Ludlum Matlock Paper i. 7 A loused-up army record. 1975 New Yorker 5 May 115/1 The picture is a cheerfully loused-up reworking of the legend of King Arthur's Grail hunt. |
Hence
ˈlousing vbl. n., also
attrib.| a 1640 Massinger Very Woman iii. ii. (1655) Dost thou think any State Would..trust thee with a secret above lousing? 1707 J. Stevens tr. Quevedo's Com. Wks. (1709) 226 He went into the lousing Room, and turn'd a little Board that hung at the Door, on which was written, One is lousing. |
▪ III. louse Sc. and
north. form of
loose.