Mysteries of vernacular: Earwig - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Jessica Ruby

Mysteries of vernacular:

Earwig,

an insect, generally classified

within the order <i>dermaptera</i>.

The common name of the insects

we know as earwigs is exactly that,

common,

and is based mainly in folklore.

It's rumored that these so-called earwigs

crawl into your ear at night

and tunnel into your brain,

but this is false.

Sure, an earwig may, on rare occasion,

climb into the ear of an unsuspecting sleeper,

but, really, who can blame them?

Ear canals are warm and dark,

the perfect home for a creepy-crawly like this one.

The important thing to remember

is that even if an earwig found its way into your ear,

it would never eat through your eardrum.

Despite the erroneous origins

of these trumped-up folk tales,

they've been in place a long time.

The word earwig comes from the Old English word earwicga,

a compound of ear, meaning ear, of course,

and wigca.

Scholars believe that wigca shares a root

with words like wiggle

and wag,

and that it most likely referred

to a creature that moves quickly.

Unfortunately for this innocent little insect,

even its scientific name gives it a bad rap.

Because of the large, pencil-like cerci on the tail

and of its abdomen,

scientists associate earwigs

with a pair of scissors,

calling them <i>forficula auricularia<i>,

literally little scissors of the ear.