crab louse

noun

1. louse1

crab louse

noun

1. a parasitic louse, Pthirus (or Phthirus ) pubis, that infests the pubic region in man

Word History and Origins

Origin of crab louse¹

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

Print ads included a silhouette of a chow, with the promise that One-Spot killed lice, ants, fleas, aphids, bedbugs, crab lice, potato bugs, cabbage worms and Mexican bean beetles.

From Washington Post

Williams once called crab lice his “occupational disease.”

From New York Times

The nameless character telling us his story is a man with some years on him and various somatic complaints: “crab lice,” eczema, a bit of unsightly damage to his skull.

From New York Times

Thus the entries for Jan. 18 include George Washington, in 1790, suffering with sore gums and, in 1943, Tennessee Williams rattled by crab lice.

From New York Times

Her expression, commonly used here to refer to something or someone annoying, roughly translates as “What crab lice.”

From New York Times

Related Words

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• venereal disease