Romantic barnacles

Spring is here, and padlocks marked with the names of couples are once again clustering on the rails and U-bolts of the Brooklyn Bridge, like colonies of romantic barnacles.

No sooner did I have that thought when it occurred to me that the phrase “romantic barnacles” might never have been used before in the history of the English language. Alas, it was used in 2009 by Rogue Linguist, though in a snarky way.

Vancouver’s skyline of ‘60s-style apartment blocks and forest of uniform steel-and-glass pillars look like a bunch of stubby barnacles. It somewhat lacks height and variety, despite a couple of interesting, recently built taller buildings in the middle of town. Actually, I live a block away from the tallest one (which hadn’t been built when this photograph was taken), but on the opposite side of me squat the alluring, romantic barnacles which grace the beach.

A review of a Danish CD uses the phrase with a somewhat different meaning.

The songs mirror contemporary themes of course – whether in terms of the revival of folk music or in increased patriotism in the light of the threats to Danish political and geographic independence. Later still Nielsen and Laub tended to strip away the late Romantic barnacles and things became increasingly strophic.

I hate it when things get strophic, don’t you?