Vocabulary Course: Foreign Origin English Word of the Day: Cooties

Cooties

Origin: Malayan/Tagalog:
kutu: lice

Part of Speech: 
n.

English Meaning:
Cooties is an imaginary disease that young American children give each other on the playground in a game that is similar to tag. Cooties is spread from any accidental contact between the opposite sex for children that are pre-pubescent. For example, cooties could be spread if a boy and girl would accidently touch each others hands by mistake when reaching for the same piece of chalk at the blackboard in their classroom.

In addition, Cooties can also be joked about playfully between adult Americans, such as between lovers or spouses who accidently crash into each other, as a shared memory about American childhood.

I just asked my husband how he pictures 'Girl Cooties' and, he replied, (I quote) "girl germs."* Often times children will just yell 'girl germs' or 'boy germs' after accidently touching each other too. However, when I think of 'Boy Cooties', I do think of some nasty little parasitic bug like lice which is interesting as this is the original meaning of the malayan 'kutu'.

Example I: 

Sally, a six year old child, accidently bumps into Jimmy, her classmate of the same age, on the way out to the playground during the lunch hour.

Jimmy: "Gross! You touched my arm! Oh great. Now you gave me Cooties!'

Sally: (looking horrified and shaking her head defiantly) "No way! I so do not have Cooties!"

Jimmy: (frantically wiping off his arm to get rid of the Cooties) "You do too! So gross!" (turning to his friend Bobby) "Sally has Cooties and gave them to me."

Bobby: (making a face of disgust) "Yuck! Girl Cooties!" (suddenly a genius appears on his face) "Hey Jimmy, just give her the cooties back."

Sally: EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKK! (While running away with Jimmy chasing her in an attempt to touch her arm thus to give her 'Boy Cooties' in revenge.)

Example II:

The song Cooties from the popular American Broadway musical and movie Hairspray, complete with lyrics.



* To which my husband then gave me a big smile and added, "Cooties? as a blog post? Cool!"