據牛津英語詞典「locust」嘅解釋，喺16世紀開始，已經有人用蝗蟲來形容教會神職人員、放貸人、經紀等等。
According to the Oxford English dictionary "locust", locusts have been used to describe church clergy, money lenders, brokers, and so on since the 16th century.