crab lice
Definition
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Also known as:
crabs /
pubic lice /
pediculosis pubis / papillon d'
amour (
butterfly of
love ), is caused by the
Phthirus pubis parasite (or crab louse), a small, flat-bodied, whitish-gray or brownish-red, wingless, sucking louse, infesting the hairy part of the body, mostly the
pubic hair , but occasionally the hair of the
chest , armpits, eyelashes and eyebrows; it uses its claws to grab and hang on to hairs while feeding on its host's blood. Crabs are usually transmitted through skin-to-skin contact with an
infected person, but they can also be transmitted through sleeping in infested bedding, wearing infested clothing, and possibly by contact with an infested
toilet seat. SYMPTOMS: Mild to intense
itching in the
pubic or
groin area, especially at night. TREATMENT: Several prescription or over-the-counter creams, lotions, or shampoos. Some of the common brands include
Nix ,
Lice-Enz , R&
C Shampoo,
Kwell , and
RID .
Synonyms:
ass mites ;
body lice ;
bosom buddies ;
bosom chums ;
bosom friends ;
bugs ;
cooties ;
crabs ;
creepers ;
critters ;
crotch crickets ;
crotch critters ;
crotch monkeys ;
crumb ;
dibs and dabs (rhyming slang -
crabs );
dick scropions ;
gentleman 's companions;
lap bugs ;
lice ;
light troops ;
love bugs ;
pant rabbits ; papillon d'
amour (
butterfly of
love );
pubic visitors ;
Sandy McNabs (rhyming slang -
crabs );
shattis .
Quote: A short poem composed by Lou Perelli (Alan Arkin) and Ruben Martinez (Andy Garcia) for Judge W. Myers (David Ogden Stiers) in Steal Big, Steal Little (1995): ' May bleeding piles torment you and corns adorn your feet / And crabs as big as horse flies dig into your balls and eat / And when you're old and weary and a siphilitic wreck / May you fall through your own bottom and break your bloody neck .'
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