lousy
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "lousy" means bad, worthless, or pitiful. Originally it meant "infested with lice," from the word "louse," but it came to describe anything unpleasant or sorry.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
That’s a lousy excuse for supper - cold beans and burnt cornbread. Folks use "lousy" for anything pitiful or no good. Pronunciation
[LOW-zee]
Meaning & Usage
- Pitiful, poor quality (adjective)
Mae:
This is a lousy meal.
This is a lousy meal.
Earl:
Well, it’s all we got.
Well, it’s all we got.- Infested with lice (adjective, older)
Mae:
Them young’uns came home lousy with nits.
Them young’uns came home lousy with nits.
Earl:
Best boil them sheets.
Best boil them sheets.other spellings: sorry, pitiful, no good, poor, worthless, and ``infested with lice`` (original sense)
★ "Lousy" today just means pitiful or bad, but its bite comes from its old meaning - crawling with lice. That’s about as sorry as it gets. ★
Origin
From Old English *lūs* (louse). Originally "lousy" meant "lice-ridden." By the 19th century, it had broadened in American speech to mean "bad" or "worthless." Appalachian English kept both the literal and figurative senses alive.
Notes
Still common across Appalachia and the South, though it’s also widespread in standard English. The "lice" meaning is older but still understood, especially among older speakers. Today it’s most often just another way to say "sorry" or "pitiful."
Say It Like a Southerner
Say it plain: "louz-ee." Easy, two beats.