Icmadophila Ericetorum, Fairy Barf

Day 108: Let's talk about evolution for a moment, specifically the evolution of language. Language, like any other living organism, evolves over time. Not only do some strains die off, others mutate from their original form, while others spring up seemingly out of nowhere and spread with the rapidity of a virus. Here, I'll give you examples of each scenario.

Yclept. Go on, use it in a sentence. I dare ya. You'll find it in Chaucer, but it had gone extinct by Shakespeare's day. It means to call or to be called. "Oon was Cyrus yclept, and th'othir Galfridus." i.e., "One was called Cyrus, and the other Galfridus." Dead as a doornail, except when someone like me resurrects it for illustrative purposes.

Hippie. In the jazz/swing era, to be called a "hep cat" implied that you were stylish and cool and "with it," but around the time Elvis Presley began making the top of the charts, "hep" got "hip" and moved up a notch linguistically. Somewhat later, the "hippie" generation was born. Oh, and while we're at it, jazz can be "hot" and "cool" simultaneously. Go figure.

Barf. Prior to 1960, you might have upchucked, urped, heaved, etc., and even Shakespeare might have puked, but you never would have barfed if you had eaten a bad meal. "Barf" cropped up spontaneously, its lineage untraceable by serious etymologists who suggested that it was probably imitative of a sound as many other words are known to be, and before long, children everywhere were barfing like crazy. Ugly and crude, it spread quickly among those who were not vaccinated against linguistic disease.

This brings us to Icmadophila ericetorum. When I first heard the common name for this lichen ("fairy barf"), I rejected it completely. Very few lichens have "official" common names, but since I. ericetorum was recognized as a species well before 1960, I felt that the term must have been someone's bad joke. However, "fairy barf" has come to be accepted as the number-one choice when it is listed in lichen field guides. Although I still think the humour in calling it by the phrase is puerile, we're stuck with it. It's easier to say than "Icmadophila ericetorum," although that may be the only point in its favour.