I'm not sure where to start this thread so since I usually fly UA, I'll begin with it here....
So, over the many decades I've been flying, I'm pretty sure I can spot what we like to call "gate lice" pretty readily. I beg to think that there may even be some who have seen me hanging around the gate area preparing to board and may have been viewed as a member of that group. My question is, has there ever been a formal or informal definition as to what specifically constitutes gate lice? I know someone in the final boarding group who hangs around the podium just as pre-boarding starts might well be considered but otherwise, is there a real definition? Just wondering.
Sincere thanks to all - -

Its not unique to UA. Virtually every airline has some form of them.

But there are a couple of existing threads on this, granted they are older, but still relevant.
UA Flight Attendant called me Gate Lice
The cause for gate lice?

Ask 10 people and you'll get 11 definitions. The only commonality is that someone's definition of gate lice won't include themself.

Like all pejorative terms, the flexibility in definition helps give the term more impact. It�s also useful as an inoculant in that the person leveling the charge is never part of that group.

Certainly no formal definition, and I agree that like most pejoratives it tends to be flexibly wielded by the user to make a particular point.

In the broadest sense, I think it simply refers to people who are standing at/near the gate area in an attempt to secure an earlier boarding position, but who aren't part of a line that is actively boarding. In the days of five marked lines for boarding groups I still saw the term used offhand to refer to people joining those lines substantially in advance of the start of boarding, and now that we're back to the "norm" of not enough lines for everyone and no clear protocol for where to go before boarding starts, it seems easily applicable to any number of people standing at the gate before boarding begins, with a varying degree of specificity and negativity depending on the speaker. The fact that some of these people aren't in the first group to board will naturally give use to some conflict and negative feeling as e.g. 1K/GS need to push through when called.

For myself, I mentally think of myself as "licing the gate" whenever I awkwardly stand near it waiting for boarding to begin.

I only see 1Ks as "gate lice" I am guilt of that.
The rest of UA boarding groups behave really well most of time.
Cheers.

1Ks are absolutely gate lice and have no problem going ahead of anyone else in the preboarding section and barely move out of the way when others can board.

gross generalization? Absolutely! But mostly right.

Yeah, this is what I've noticed as well. Most of the other groups line up in their designated queue with the occasional, "Oh, I thought you called boarding group one", pax showing up when 1K is called. The gaggle are usually GS/1K.

Its the 18 people standing to the left of Boarding Group 1 right now for my flight back to DEN in that small narrow strip of land between the wall, stanchions, and the GA check-in cabinet, where apparently Gate agency announcements are fully unable to be heard with any clarity or care in the world, you know those announcements, ones like, "We have not begun the prebaording sequence, and the flight crew is delayed, so if you could possibly leave some room for staff to get on the plane it would be appreciated." You know that exact space where the flight crew needs to wall to get access to jetbridge, and hence the damn plane so that we can leave, but their very standing there is causing the boarding process to slow down even further.

At gates without a dedicated pre-board/1K line, 1Ks are inevitably gate lice, no?

"Anyone standing near the gate agent's podium or the boarding door except me."

It just seems folks don't situational awareness and not aware of the fact that they blocking other people's way. Just like people stop and stand after getting off an escalator/travelator/elevator, or people standing in front the subway door as opposed to the side.

Only if the person is standing in an area that is blocking other eligible pre-boarders.

FT Glossary

Not really sure this requires a definition. It seems pretty obvious. Unfortunately, I see this as a problem, and wonder what would be an effective solution.

I've seen some gate agents, "publicly shame" passengers by loudly announcing that the offending passenger is boarding group X, as their boarding pass clearly states, and is not boarding as everyone else around them is boarding group X-1, which is the group that is boarding per the announcement made and also pointing to the large monitor behind the counter that clearly states boarding group X-1 is now boarding, and then reject their boarding, and telling them to wait until their boarding group has been called.

I figure that must be effective to curb behavior over time, but not all gate agents seem to enforce/utilize this policy, which makes it ineffective.

If this is to improve, I'm guessing it has to be a form of public shaming/humiliation/embarrassment and/or a penalty/fine/consequence.

A really savvy gate agent would set them aside and not let them board until X+1. Of course, any real action could put them as risk of getting sucker punched.