Meaning
A large, wingless, mostly nocturnal burrowing insect known for its rounded humanlike head and banded abdomen; despite the name, it is not a true cricket and has no geographic connection with Jerusalem. This is a curious common name rather than a figurative idiom. 'Potato bug' is ambiguous because it is also used for several unrelated invertebrates. Regional use: Western North America and Mexico; the common name is especially associated with American English.
Origin
The common name was written in a Stanford insect-collection record probably in 1894 and was first used in scientific literature by Vernon Kellogg in 1905. Its explanation remains uncertain. Entomologist David B. Weissman reviewed proposals involving the Jerusalem cross, Jerusalem artichokes, and Spanish or Indigenous names but found none conclusive. He considered a startled exclamation using 'Jerusalem!' more plausible, while still presenting it as a hypothesis. The insects occur in North and Central America, not the Holy Land.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- Child of the earth
- Jerusalem crickets
- Potato bug
- Sand cricket
Usage Examples
- The gardener uncovered a Jerusalem cricket while turning the damp soil after sunset.
- Jerusalem crickets spend much of the day underground and often emerge at night.
- Although the Jerusalem cricket looked alarming, it was not attacking the vegetable bed.