"Darling lambs"

I looked up the interpretation of Sonnet 18 the other day, the one in which Shakespeare refers to the darling buds of May. Interestingly, the word "darling" probably refers to the changing of the flower buds from green to coloured as they open. Despite the affectionate context in which we use the word today, when applied to people it may originally have meant a pubescent girl blooming into young womanhood. I like that. I'll remember that the next time the checkout girl at the supermarket calls me "darling!"