10/9c

[rayheinrich]

Gosh, and here I'm been making even more of a
fool of myself than I thought I was!

I wondered why people looked at me funny when
I told them I was one of Erthona's 'acolytes'.

All this time I thought it had something to do
with Erthona; but no, it was because I was using
'acolyte' as the name for a disciple of some sort.
This was, I found out, an archaic meaning that
had fallen into disuse by the end of the 17th
century.

My only consolation is that I was not alone;
that at least one other person was as ignorant
as I was.

The contemporary (correct) meaning for 'acolyte'
is that it's the name for a louse (pediculus
humanus humanus) whose usual haunt is the human
pubic area.

The transition of its meaning from 'disciple' to 'parasite'
seems only logical.

Here's a picture of it:





The correct term, by the way, is 'votarient'.

As in:
"... and I’m sure you'll be back to normal, dropping those
pearls of wisdom on all of your admiring votarients."