In a recent posting, I noted the portmanteau — or, possibly, use of a libfix -mageddon — in swarmageddon, as a name for this year’s cicada infestation in the eastern US (and picked up the entertaining shawarmageddon along the way). Now, as I’ve noted before, where there’s a -mageddon, there’s usually a -pocalypse as well. The combination swarm(a)pocalypse seems not to be attested, but this morning on ADS-L David Barnhart reported cicadapocalypse (with the two parts sharing the vowel /ǝ/ in pronunciation, the letter A in spelling). And there’s cicadageddon as well.
Barnhart’s attestation:
[BowiePatch (Bowie MD) newsletter] Within the next few weeks, hordes of insects will awaken from a 17-year slumber, crawl out of the earth, shed their skins, and set the entire East Coast abuzz in an plague-like event enthusiasts have dubbed the “Cicadapocalypse” after the bugs’ name, cicadas. (link)
Barnhart reported that the word was in Urban Dictionary, in an entry by Tim Kadich dated 5/21/07.
A few more recent cites from the media:
[Mother Nature Network] Cicadapocalypse 2013: What you need to know
Entomologists, rejoice! After a 17-year absence, the Brood II cicadas will overrun the East Coast in the coming months. (link)[Huffington Post Science] Sing Fly Mate Die: The Cicadapocalypse Is Nigh (link)
[Philadelphia Inquirer website] This Interactive Cicada Map Will Help You Track The Cicadapocalypse (link)
I haven’t found cites for the combination cicadamageddon, but there’s a healthy number for cicadageddon, for example in the Twitter hashtag #cicadageddon and in media reports like these:
[En Publishing: news for the serious mind] CICADAGEDDON: ARE YOU READY FOR THE SWARM OF 2012? (link)
[Riverfront Times (St. Louis MO)] Cicadageddon Is Officially Underway (link)
