Dead lice

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on December 12, 2009 at 08:40

In Reply to: Dead lice posted by Steve on December 10, 2009 at 23:30:

: I grew up hearing my adult relatives complain about a person moving so slow that they "move like dead lice is falling off of them". Where did this originate?

In folklore, lice are said to leave the body of a dying person, so if lice are falling off you, you are clearly at death's door. It's an American folk saying. (VSD)