delousev.
/diːˈlaʊs/ 1. transitive. To clear of lice.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > pest control > remove vermin from [verb (transitive)] > remove insects from > remove lice from
lousec1440
delouse1919
debug1942
1919 [see delousing n. and adj. at Derivatives].
1921 Glasgow Herald 9 July 7 The fact that there were no adequate means of delousing these men.
1929 A. Forbes Hist. Army Ordn. Serv. III. ii. 46 Disinfectors for de-lousing clothing.
1937 W. H. Auden in B. Dobrée From Anne to Victoria 92 The wearing of wigs helped to delouse the upper classes.
1964 R. Church Voy. Home i. 7 The stench polluted..the holy air of the garden surrounding the temple. They sat delousing each other.
2. transferred and figurative. To free from something unpleasant. slang.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > leave unoccupied [verb (transitive)] > clear out > clear of something undesirable
winnowc825
purge1340
dischargec1384
weedc1400
devoida1500
rid?1526
shift1567
free1613
scuffle1766
delouse1942
1942 L. V. Berrey & M. Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §355/2 Delouse, to get rid of displeasing companions.
1943 Times Weekly 18 Aug. 2 The road itself had been ‘deloused’ of mines.
1946 P. Brickhill & C. Norton Escape to Danger xx. 179 His squadron was ‘delousing’ Fortresses as they came back home out of Holland.
Derivatives
deˈlousing n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > pest control > [noun] > removal of lice
lousinga1640
delousing1919
1919 Libr. Assoc. Rec. Sept. 6 The inhabitants of each barrack went in turn to the delousing station on the other side of the island, where the delousing process took three days.
1946 G. Millar Horned Pigeon v. 65 We were going to the delousing-pen.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online March 2019).
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