Gate Lice

What does gate lice mean?

People congregating around an airport gate

Lice makes everyone's skin crawl, and "gate lice" does the same for seasoned airplane travelers. Gate lice refers to passengers who get up and stand around a gate waiting to board the airplane instead of waiting for the gate attendant to announce their seating zone.

Veteran flyers get annoyed by gate lice because they congest the entrance for other passengers, possibly causing confusion and leading to longer wait times. For example, people waiting for their seat might be unable to hear their zone called or see a sign displaying the zone because of all the gate lice in their way.

Origin of gate lice

The origin of gate lice is unclear. However, it gained popularity among travelers on social media in the early 2020s.

Example

Aren't you seated in zone 2? They called it 5 minutes ago
I didn't even know my zone was called with all the gate lice noise
Gate lice at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Gate lice at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport

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Updated April 25, 2024

Gate lice definition by Slang.net

This page explains what the slang term "Gate lice" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slang.net team.

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