earworm, n.
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈɪəwəːm/, U.S. /ˈɪrˌwərm/
Etymology: < ear n.1 + worm n. Compare earlier earwig n. and discussion at that entry.
In sense 3 after German Ohrwurm in similar use (1988 in the passage translated in quot. 19911 at sense 3).
1. An earwig. Now rare.
1598 W. Phillip tr. J. H. van Linschoten Disc. Voy. E. & W. Indies i. xlv. 84/2 They [sc. in India] can hardly kepe any paper.from wormes, which are like eare wormes.
1681 E. Tyson tr. J. Swammerdam Ephemeri Vita viii. 31 The Ear-worm, or Forfica,..hide[s] very large Wings under a small Shell or Case, as if they had none at all.
a1813 A. Murray Hist. European Lang. (1823) I. 457 In the Teutonic dialects any tortuous reptile was called wigga, as in ear-wigga, an ear-worm.
1870 H. Raphael tr. A. Vogel Pract. Treat. Dis. Children (ed. 3) vi. 435 The ear-worm (forficula auricula), so much dreaded by people, occasions no special danger.
1908 J. Crichton-Browne et al. Standard Family Physician II. 291 Flies, roaches, bedbugs, and fleas are rarely found in the ear; the so-called ‘ear-worm’ never.
†2. A counsellor who advises a monarch, etc., in secret. Cf. earwig n. 2. Obs. rare.
a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. 152 If they advise the Destruction of the King, the State, or the Laws of the Realm, there is nothing in the Oath to protect such an Ear-worm, but he may be appeached.
3. A catchy tune or piece of music (or occas. a word or phrase) which persistently stays in a person's mind, esp. to the point of irritation.
1991 J. Barrett tr. G. Weil Bride Price 53 In the vernacular, it's called an ‘earworm’—words, bits of music that won't leave you alone.
1991 Poetry Aug. 267 Earworm. A German phrase for a tune you cannot get out of your head.
2003 Windsor Star(Ont.) (Nexis) 23 Oct. b9 He surveyed about 500 students, faculty and staff on campus asking about the type, frequency and duration of earworms and possible causes and cures. Among the songs respondents picked as most likely to become stuck were: The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Who Let the Dogs Out.
2011 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 104/2 The best advice I've heard for making earworms go away is to just stop being irritated by them, and come to peace with the fact that you're humming Britney Spears.
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