html
                     // so move forward as such
                     tmpIcon = ambiguousIconString;

                     // then it wasn't html, so
                     // it's a class list, figure out what kind
                 } else {
                     ambiguousIconString = ambiguousIconString.replace(/(^\s*|\s*$)/g,'');
                     tmpIcon = L.DomUtil.create('span', '');

                     if( ambiguousIconString.indexOf('fa-') === 0 ){
                         L.DomUtil.addClass(tm