Trivia
HardThe First Use Of The Term “Cooties” In English Was To Refer To?

Answer: Lice
If you spent even a wee bit of your childhood in the U.S., then you most certainly encountered the dreaded, but entirely imaginary, childhood disease “cooties”. While the rules of transmission and infection vary quite wildly between groups of children and variations of the “disease” with differing names are found all over the world, there’s one thing very concrete about cooties: the way the term entered the English language.
The word first appeared in English when used by British soldiers in World War I to refer to the lice that ran rampant in battlefield trenches. Although the origin of the slang term isn’t precisely known, it is believed to have come into the soldiers’ lingo by way of the Philippine, Malaysian-Indonesian, and Maori word kuto or kutu, which refers to a parasitic biting insect.
The term cooties in turn jumped across the Atlantic, again by way of military activity, when American soldiers returning from South Pacific service alongside British soldiers popularized the term in the U.S. during the 1950s.
Trivia
EasyWhat Food Is Actually Made From Repurposed Brewer’s Yeast?
Trivia
HardJupiter’s Largest Moons Are Referred To As The?
Trivia
EasyA Cup Of Coffee Made By Adding Hot Water To Espresso Is Called?
Trivia
Very HardFor Centuries Wine Was Flavored With What Toxic Compound?
Trivia
HardThe Real-Life Inspiration For The Super Friends’ Hall Of Justice Is Located In?
Trivia
EasyUntil 2011, Social Security Numbers Could Be Used To Determine A Person’s?
Trivia
HardThe Best Selling Debut Album In History Belongs To Which Of These Musical Acts?
Trivia
EasyWhich Automotive Company’s Name Is Astronomical In Origin?
Trivia
HardThe First Platformer Video Game Was?