2 February 04

The Name “Pica”

During a very interesting conversation this morning that revolved around blogging and mountain lions, a third meaning for the name “Pica” was drawn to my attention. I chose this as a screen name because Pica is short for Pica nutelli, the yellow-billed magpie that lives around this part of California (and nowhere else). A pica is also a measurement in type: twelve points to a pica, twelve picas to an inch, and as a typophile it seemed to fit well.

What I learned this morning is that it is also the name for a particular eating disorder... eating dirt (and other non-food items). I assure all you faithful readers that I don’t indulge in this particular culinary extravaganza. Really, honest. I know some pregnant women sometimes have odd tastes but I’m not pregnant and hope to get through life without ever having this particular craving.

Apparently the term does derive from the Latin for magpie, whose eating habits are said to be indiscriminate. Our magpies choose only the tastiest morsels out here on the field, I should add, so they must have been thinking about black-billed magpies…

Posted by at 06:08 PM in Books and Language | Link |
  1. I read about this recently in a medical book, just by chance the name Pica caught my eye. Other odd things they mentioned pregnant women wanting to eat was soap, clay pipes, bed linen, charcoal, ashes ect. (In fact the other day I threw some wood ashes onto the vegpatch which was covered in snow. The next morning there was a flock of small birds pecking around in it, so perhaps it doesnt taste so bad afterall…!) But I preferred to think of the Pica I relate to as you have described yourself and therefore ceased to mention it !!.

    — Jennifer    3. February 2004, 01:38    Link
  2. You have the cute furry rodent named “pica” in California, don’t you? They’re the size of chinchillas, live in mountain rocks, and make & store their own hay for winter consumption.

    When I first “met” you, I wondered if you knew about “pica” as an eating disorder. And although I know about magpies, I also like to picture you as a cute, industrious mountain rodent!

    — Lorianne    3. February 2004, 05:18    Link
  3. There is also the PICA “Peace through Interamerican Community Action” organisation. www.pica.ws/
    Have you seen their website?

    — Jenny    3. February 2004, 12:59    Link
  4. The mountain rodent is the pika. They’re wonderful, charming little guys, and are likely to be the first North American mammal to go extinct due to climate change.

    — Chris Clarke    4. February 2004, 05:09    Link
  5. In Spanish, pica is the third person singular of picar, to prick, sting, bite (said only of snakes, birds and insects), to be spicy/hot (said only of food) – related to picante. As a noun it is a pike (the English cognate), lance or goad, including those things they stick the bull with in a bullfight.

    Eating dirt can provide essential minerals; in some parts of Appalacia it is an early spring custom. (They bake it first.)

    Things you always wanted to know, but not very much…

    — Dave    4. February 2004, 12:04    Link

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