Mysteries of vernacular: Earwig.
通用俗语的谜团：Earwig。
An insect, generally classified within the order 'dermaptera'.
Earwig（蠼螋）是一种被归类在“革翅目”下的昆虫。
The common name of the insects we know as earwigs is exactly that, common, and is based mainly in folklore.
这种昆虫的俗名，也就是我们熟知的earwig，一般来说，是源自于民间传说。
It's rumored that these so-called earwigs crawl into your ear at night and tunnel into your brain, but this is false.
据说这种叫作earwig的昆虫会在晚上爬进你的耳朵，然后钻进你的头。不过这是假的。
Sure, an earwig may, on rare occasion, climb into the ear of an unsuspecting sleeper, but, really, who can blame them?
当然，蠼螋有时候、极少数的状况下，的确会爬进无意识睡眠者的耳朵里，但是说实在的，怎么能怪它们呢？
Ear canals are warm and dark, the perfect home for a creepy-crawly like this one.
耳道既温暖又黑暗，是像它们这种瘆人的爬虫生物完美的住所。
The important thing to remember is that even if an earwig found its way into your ear, it would never eat through your eardrum.
需要记住的是，就算一只蠼螋真的爬进你耳朵里，它也绝不可能咬穿你的耳膜。

Despite the erroneous origins of these trumped-up folk tales, they've been in place a long time.
虽然这些捏造出来的故事是错误的源头，但它们已经流传许久。
The word earwig comes from the Old English word earwicga,
而earwig这个词是源自于古英语当中的一个词，earwicga，
a compound of ear, meaning ear, of course, and wigca.
这个词由ear，也就是耳朵，和wigca组成。
Scholars believe that wigca shares a root with words like wiggle and wag,
学者们相信wigca和wiggle以及wag这类的单词有相同的词根，
and that it most likely referred to a creature that moves quickly.
而其含义很可能是指那些快速移动的生物。
Unfortunately for this innocent little insect, even its scientific name gives it a bad rap.
可怜的是，对这个无辜的小昆虫而言，就算是它的学名都给了它不好的名声。
Because of the large, pencil-like cerci on the tail and of its abdomen,
因为其尾部、腹部硕大的、铅笔状的尾须，
scientists associate earwigs with a pair of scissors,
科学家把蠼螋和剪刀联系在一起，
calling them 'forficula auricularia', literally little scissors of the ear.
将其命名为“Forficula auricularia”，字面意义就是耳朵里的小剪刀。