louse

louse — 名詞

1. A small wingless creature that survives by feeding on the blood or skin of its h

1.名詞B1
釋義

蝨子

吸血寄生蟲，附於人畜體表

A small wingless creature that survives by feeding on the blood or skin of its host, whether human or animal, and typically causes a persistent itchy feeling.

例句

Lan found a louse in her daughter's hair after the school camping trip.

學校露營回來後，Lan 在女兒的頭髮裡發現了一隻蝨子。

Lice spread quickly among children who share hats, combs, or pillows at school.

蝨子在共用帽子、梳子或枕頭的孩童之間傳播得很快。

collocation: lice spread quickly; share hats, combs

同義詞
  • flea

    A different wingless insect that feeds on blood. Fleas jump between hosts; lice crawl and stay attached.

  • tick

    A larger parasite that buries its head in the skin to feed. Ticks are more dangerous for disease transmission.

  • mite

    A very tiny relative that is often invisible to the naked eye. Mites cause skin conditions like scabies.

文法句型

plural: lice

用法筆記

The plural form is lice (not louses). This irregular plural is essential to memorise because it is far more common in everyday use than the singular form.

常見錯誤

❌There were three louses in his hair.
✅There were three lice in his hair.
💡The insect sense has an irregular plural: lice, not louses.
❌She found a louse egg on the brush.
✅She found a nit on the brush.
💡The eggs of lice are called nits, not louse eggs.

2. An insulting word for someone who behaves in a dishonest, selfish, or deliberate

2.名詞B2
釋義

卑鄙小人

形容行為惡劣的人（罵人話）

An insulting word for someone who behaves in a dishonest, selfish, or deliberately harmful way towards others.

例句

After Joaquín lied about stealing the office money, everyone called him a louse.

Joaquín 撒謊偷了辦公室的錢之後，每個人都罵他是卑鄙小人。

That louse told the boss I was late, though he himself arrived last.

那個卑鄙小人跟老闆說我遲到，明明他自己才是最晚到的那一個。

pattern: That louse + verb (accusation)

同義詞
  • jerk

    A more common, slightly milder insult for someone rude or unpleasant. Jerk is widely used across all registers.

  • scoundrel

    A more literary and old-fashioned term for someone morally bad. Sounds more dramatic than louse.

  • swine

    As strong as louse but less common today. Often used for greed or gluttony rather than dishonesty.

反義詞
  • gentleman

    A man who behaves with honour and consideration — the opposite of the mean, dishonest behaviour a louse shows.

文法句型

usually singular

often preceded by 'you' or 'that'

用法筆記

In this sense the plural is louses (not lice). However, the word is almost always used in the singular, directed at one person. It is a strong insult and should be used with caution.

常見錯誤

❌They are a bunch of lice.' (using insect plural for the insult sense)
✅They are a bunch of louses.
💡The insult sense takes a regular plural: louses.

louse — 動詞