Mysteries of vernacular: Earwig - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

字源探秘：Earwig - Jessica Oreck 與 Rachael Teel

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Jessica Ruby

譯者: Jephian Lin 審譯者: Coco Shen

Mysteries of vernacular:

字源深秘：

Earwig,

Earwig（蠼螋）

an insect, generally classified

一種

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

被歸類在「革翅目」下的昆蟲。

The common name of the insects

這種昆蟲的俗名，

we know as earwigs is exactly that,

也就是我們熟知的 earwig，

common,

一般來說，

and is based mainly in folklore.

是源自於民間傳說。

It's rumored that these so-called earwigs

據說這種叫作 earwig 的昆蟲 （譯註：ear 表耳朵、wig 代表頭。）

crawl into your ear at night

會在晚上爬進你的耳朵

and tunnel into your brain,

然後鑽進你的頭，

but this is false.

不過這是錯的。

Sure, an earwig may, on rare occasion,

當然，蠼螋有時候、極少數的狀況下

climb into the ear of an unsuspecting sleeper,

的確會爬進無意識睡眠者的耳朵裡，

but, really, who can blame them?

但是說實在的，怎麼能怪牠們呢？

Ear canals are warm and dark,

耳朵的通道既溫暖又黑暗，

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

根本就是這種毛骨悚然的爬蟲生物 最棒的家。

The important thing to remember

但值得注意的是，

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

就算蠼螋真的爬進你耳朵裡，

it would never eat through your eardrum.

牠也絕不可能通過你的鼓膜。

Despite the erroneous origins

雖然這些捏造出來的故事

of these trumped-up folk tales,

是錯誤的源頭，

they've been in place a long time.

但它們已經流傳許久。

The word earwig comes from the Old English word earwicga,

而 earwig 這個字是源自於 一個舊英文單字 earwicga，

a compound of ear, meaning ear, of course,

它是 ear 和 wigca 的組合，

and wigca.

ear 當然是耳朵的意思。

Scholars believe that wigca shares a root

學者們相信 wigca 和

with words like wiggle

wiggle（擺動）以及 wag（搖動）

and wag,

這類的字有相同字源，

and that it most likely referred

應該是指

to a creature that moves quickly.

那些快速移動的生物。

Unfortunately for this innocent little insect,

可憐這隻無辜的小蟲，

even its scientific name gives it a bad rap.

儘管是牠的學名 也是一種欲加之罪。

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

由於牠尾巴上和腹部上

and of its abdomen,

那又大又像鉛筆的尾毛，

scientists associate earwigs

科學家把蠼螋

with a pair of scissors,

和剪刀聯想在一起，

calling them <i>forficula auricularia<i>,

把牠們叫作 forficula auricularia

literally little scissors of the ear.

字面意義是耳朵的小剪刀。