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Retroterm of the Day: Cooties.

April 14, 2009 //  by David Keyes

That’s what soldiers in World War I’s verminous trenches called body lice, adapting “kutu,” the Malay word for louse. After the war American soldiers brought this term home along with their ribbons and medals. Kids liked the sound and the concept of cooties and took it over. (“Ooh. Cooties!”)

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