The Fun Etymology of Some Words Avocado (noun): a pear-shaped fruit with a rough leathery skin, smooth oily edible flesh, and a large stone The word for avocado comes from the Aztec word, "ahuacatl," which means testicle. Aside from the similar shape, avocados also act as aphrodisiacs, foods that stimulate sex drive. I propose we un-complicate the story and rename them "testicle fruit." Jumbo (adjective): very large, unusually for it's type In 1880, P.T. Barnum bought an elephant, named "Jumbo," from the Royal Zoological Society in London. By age 7, this pachyderm consumed 200 pounds of hay, one barrel of potatoes, two bushels of oats, 15 loaves of bread, a slew of onions, and several pails of water every day. His caretaker at the zoo also gave him a gallon or two of whiskey every now and then. At full size, Jumbo stood at 11-and-a-half feet tall and weighed six-and-half tons. His name likely stems from two Swahili words: "jambo," meaning hello and "jumbe," or chief. Although, "Hey chief" seems a little informal for a creature who could crush your organs with its trunk. Clue (noun): a fact or idea that serves as a guide or aid in a task or problem According to Greek mythology, when Theseus entered the Labyrinth to kill the minotaur (a half-man, half-bull), he unraveled a "clew" — a ball of string — behind him, so he could find his way back. The word "clue" didn't even exist until the mid-1500s when people started to vary the spelling of "clew." Robot (noun): a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer The word "robot" comes from the Czech word "robota," meaning "forced labor" — which sounds strangely like slavery. Remember iRobot? Sycophant (noun): a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage Technically, sycophant means someone who denounces someone else as a "fig-smuggler," according to Charlotte Higgins, culture-blogger at The Guardian. Since the beginning of the sixth century, Athens outlawed transporting food, except olives, outside the city-state's borders. People mostly broke the law by smuggling figs. Back then, Athenian law permitted blackmailing (for profit). These blackmailers, or sykophantes in Greek, wanted to earn some extra cash and threatened to tell the courts about others' fig-smuggling habits. Assassin (noun): a person who murders an important person for political or religious reasons Members of a fanatical Muslim sect during the Crusades used to smoke hashish and then murder leaders on the opposing side. They started going by the name "hashishiyyin," meaning hashish-users in Arabic. Through centuries of mispronunciation, English arrived at "assassin." Phony (adjective): not genuine, fraudulent Back in day, pirates used to sell "fawney," basically British slang for fake gold rings. Anything can happen when you add a buccaneer's accent. Nimrod (noun): an inept person Nimrod actually means a "skillful hunter." The word comes from Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah, one of the most powerful biblical kings. It sounds like a compliment, right? During the golden age of American animation, Bugs Bunny called Elmer Fudd a Nimrod in an episode of Looney Tunes. As Cracked puts it, that's kind of like calling your friend "Einstein" after he makes a really dumb statement. Bugs' sarcasm just stuck. Whiskey (noun): a spirit distilled from malted grain, especially barley or rye Whiskey is the shortened form of whiskeybae, which comes from the Old English "usquebae," derived from two Gaelic words: uisce (water) and bethu (life). Thus, whiskey literally means "water of life." Accurate. Hazard n. Danger; vb. To risk or expose to danger. This term evolved from the Arabic al zahr, which means the dice. In Western Europe the term came to be associated with a number of games using dice, which were learned during the Crusades whilst in the Holy Land. The term eventually took on the connotation of danger because, from very early on, games using dice were associated with the risky business of gambling and con artists using corrupted dice. Malaria n. Infectious disease characterised by chills and fever and caused by the bite of an infected anopheles mosquito. This word comes from the mediaeval Italian mal (=bad) and aria (=air), describing the miasma from the swamps around Rome. This 'bad air' was believed to be the cause of the fever that often developed in those who spent time around the swamps. In fact the illness, now known as malaria, was due to certain protozoans present in the mosquitos that bred around these swamps, and which caused recurring feverish symptoms in those they bit. Pedigree n. A line of ancestors; descent; lineage; genealogy; a register or record of a line of ancestors. Believed to be derived from the French ped de gru, which meant crane's foot (the modern French equivalent is pied de la grue). The crane's foot is said to resemble the /|\ symbol on genealogical trees. It has also been suggested that it comes from par degrés, the French for by degrees. A pedigree chart records the relationship of families by degrees. Phony (or Phoney) adj. Something that is not genuine; a fake or imitation. British thieves and swindlers of old used many secret codewords. One such word was fawney, which referred to a gilt ring. They would sell these, saying that they were made of real gold. But the rings were not genuine gold, and the word phony – from fawney – came to be used for anything that is fake or not genuine. #10. Addict In ancient Rome, soldiers who performed well in battle were awarded slaves, known as addicts (the Latin word for slave). This word came to refer to a person who was a slave to anyone, or anything. Eventually, the word formed other words, such as addicted and addiction. #9. Buck Buck is an American slang term for dollar. On the American frontier, deerskins were used as units of commerce. They were referred to as buckskin, which became shortened to a buck. The term actually dates all the way back to 1748. Buck then became transferred to the newer means of commerce, dollars. #8. Avocado Pear The Nahuatl language, spoken by several South American tribes (including the Aztecs), used the word “ahuacatl”, meaning testicle to refer to the green fruit, because of its appearance. This word became “aguacate” in Spanish, and eventually “avocado” in English. Pear was later added because of the fruit’s shape, and to separate the fruit from the tree it flowers from. #7. Nightmare The night part of the word makes perfect sense, but bad dreams usually have nothing to do with horses, so where does mare come from? In Old English, “mare” is a word meaning a demon that suffocates one in their sleep. Bad dreams often made people feel like they were being suffocated in their sleep, so mare was attached to night to form the modern word. #6. Dunce John Dons Scotus, was a medieval scholar who wrote on Catholic theology, grammar, logic, metaphysics, and a variety of other topics. His works were so popular than his followers became know as “duns.” However, when the Renaissance occurred, his work was found to be outdated. His followers still stubbornly held on to their beliefs, and were mockingly referred to as “duns”, which in time became dunce. #5. Quarantine “Quarante” is the French word for forty, and the suffix –ine, is like the English suffix –ish, meaning roughly, or around. Quarantine means “roughly forty.” The word comes from when ships arrived at a French port with somebody on board who had a disease. The ship would be required to wait roughly forty days before they could come ashore, to make sure the disease did not spread throughout France. #4. Silhouette The word silhouette comes from the French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette, who imposed harsh sanctions on the citizens in 1759. The term “à la Silhouette” was used to refer to art that was perceived as cheap, to mock de Silhouette, who practiced art as a hobby. Shadows cut from black paper were popular at the time, and these were seen as being cheap, so they were referred to as silhouettes, which stuck. #3. Soccer Even though soccer is mainly an American term to refer to the sport, it originated the other side of the Atlantic. The Football Association was formed in 1863, and still operates to this day. The name football was used to distinguish the sport from rugby, another sport forming at the same time. Association Football thus became the word to describe the sport, although “socca” became used as a slang term deriving from the middle of “association.” The word soon formed into soccer, and is still used in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. #2. Slave Slavonia was an area in Europe that was conquered by Rome. All of the area’s citizens were taken to work for the Romans, and were known as “Slavs”, because of their origin. Eventually, the word became “slaves”, and came to represent somebody who is forced to work for another person, without pay. Today, Slavonia is a region in Croatia, made up of five counties. #1. Berserk Fierce Norse warriors were referred to as “berserkrs,” a term coming from the Old Icelandic words for bear, “ber”, and shirt, “serkr”. These warriors would wear shirts made of bear fur into battle, believing it made them invincible. Thus, the word berserk was formed, which is most often used in the phrase, “to go berserk”, meaning a person becomes so violently angry that there is no reasoning with them. 1. Fizzle Fizzle Back in the 17th century when people didn’t have cell phones and essentially had nothing to do except talk about farting, “Fizzle” meant to break wind without making a noise. The word comes from the Old English fisting, which means farting, and it’s totally related to our word “Feisty,” which, weird. 2. “Kibosh” "Kibosh" The prevailing theory is that “kibosh,” as in “to put the kibosh on something,” comes from the Gaelic cie bais, which means “cap of death,” a thing executioners used to put on in the mornings so as to look more badass and terrifying when they killed people. Let’s all agree never to say “kibosh” again. 3. Vagina Vagina Vagina is Latin for sheath. Feminism hadn’t been invented when they came up with that one. 4. Penguin Penguin “Penguin” comes from the Welsh pen meaning “head” and gwyn meaning “white.” The Welsh person who came up with this one wasn’t blind — he or she was just referring to the great auk, now extinct. RIP, the great auk, with your beautiful white head. I am sad now. 5. “Avocado” (from the word “Ahuacatl”), comes from an Aztec language called Nahuatl, and the Aztecs weren’t afraid to call things like they saw them. What I am saying is that the Aztecs saw avocados like testicles. 6. Dachshund Dachshund Via thenightmaredragon.deviantart.com Well, KIND OF. Dachshund actually means Badger Dog (“dachs” = “badger” and “hund” = “dog” in German), but they used to be called Dachs Kriegers, which is SO MUCH COOLER because it means “Badger warrior.” Newfound respect for dachshunds. 7. Namby-Pamby Namby-Pamby The word “Namby-pamby” was originally a harsh burn on the poetry of this guy called Ambrose Philips who wrote insufferable garbage like “Timely blossom, Infant fair, Fondling of a happy pair …”. It is essentially just a baby-ification of his first name, and it sucks for him that this is the only way history remembers him. 8. Juggernaut Juggernaut “Juggernaut” is a Sanskrit reference to the Ratha Yatra temple car (the word is a corruption of the name of the deity, Lord Jagannath, to whom the temple is dedicated). The only thing you really need to know about the Ratha Yatra temple car is that it was AWESOME, and that it was reputed to “crush devotees under its wheels.” Raddest car in town, IMHO. 9. Whiskey Whiskey Whiskey (or whisky) comes from the Gaelic words uisge beatha, which literally mean “water of life.” Scottish people take their drinking really fucking seriously. 10. Vodka Vodka “Vodka” is a diminutive of the Russian word for water, voda. So saying “Vodka” is essentially like calling it your “Little water” or, like, your “Waterkins,” like you are in some overly cutesy PDA-heavy relationship with it and OMG get a room already. 11. Lemur Lemur Lemur comes from the Latin for ghosts, Lemures, because of their ghost-like faces. And yes, now I am afraid of lemurs. 12. Smart Aleck Smart Aleck The phrase “Smart Aleck” refers specifically to a (literal) pimp named Alec Hoag, who teamed up with his wife in 1840s New York to trick people out of their money. His wife would seduce the men and bring them home, and Aleck would sneak into the room through a secret sliding wall and steal their stuff while they were sleeping. Back in the 1840s, this kind of thing was thought to be just unbelievably smart. 13. Loophole Loophole Loophole (also called a “murder-hole”) originally referred to the slits in castle walls that archers would shoot their arrows through. It kind of makes sense because it is like a small opening, or an “out,” to get you out of trouble with the law. What I am saying is next time you’re in legal trouble, just cut a hole in your wall and shoot an arrow at someone. Works every time. 14. Tragedy Tragedy “Tragedy” comes from the Greek t?a??d?a (tragodia) meaning the song of the male goat. The ancient Greeks thought goats were crazy sad, apparently. Also, they used to have performances where a chorus would dance around a goat and then ritually sacrifice him. Which is pretty damn sad, if you think about it. 15. Sleazy Sleazy Sleazy is thought to come from Silesian cloth, which in the 17th century was pretty top-quality cloth, but over time obviously fell way the hell out of favor. 16. Salmon Salmon Salmon comes from the Latin word for “To jump,” salire, and that actually totally makes sense when you think about it. For a fish, salmon are unbelievably good at jumping. 17. Sycophant Sycophant OK, this one is the weirdest of all, and of course it’s the ancient Greeks again, just being weird. Sycophant comes from s??? (suko), which means “Fig” and f??t?? (phantes) which refers to people showing or revealing something. BEAR WITH ME I AM ALMOST FINISHED. Anyway, apparently back in the deezy exporting figs used to be against the law, but people did it anyway. And the jackasses who told on them to the cops were called “fig revealers.” The rest is history. 18. Mortgage Mortgage The word “Mortgage” comes from the Old French mort (dead) and gage (pledge), and now I don’t want to buy a house anymore. 1. ORCHID Oops, you just said: Testicles Take a look at certain orchids’ roots, and you’ll probably notice that they look like testicles. If not, you’ve set yourself apart from multiple generations of language-makers that simply couldn’t help but name the whole plant family after this snicker-worthy observation. Our contemporary word for the flower, introduced in 1845, comes from the Greek orchis, which literally translates as “testicle.” Speakers of Middle English in the 1300s came up with a phonologically different word—inspired by the same exact dirty thought. They called the flower ballockwort from ballocks, or testicles, which itself evolved from beallucas, the Old English word for balls. 2. PORCELAIN Oops, you just said: Pig’s vagina The word “porcelain” comes from the material’s Italian name, porcellana, which literally translates as a “cowrie shell” and refers to porcelain’s similarly smooth surface. But the Italian cowrie shell in turn takes its name from porcella, a young sow, because the shell’s shape is reminiscent of a small, female pig’s vulva. 3. VANILLA Oops, you just said: Vagina During Hernando Cortes’ conquest of the Aztec empire, his men discovered the vanilla plant and dubbed it vainilla, literally “little pod” or “little sheath,” from the Latin vagina, “sheath.” The conquistadors drew the name from the shape of the plants’ bodies, which need to be split open in order to extract the beans they enclose—still a bit of a stretch as they more closely resemble tough, dark string beans. Funny enough, the ‘70s slang sense of vanilla as “conventional” or “of ordinary sexual preferences” has nothing to do with its original etymology; instead, it refers to the unadventurous choice of vanilla ice cream and the blandness of the color white. 4. SEMINAR Oops, you just said: Semen "Seminar” comes from the Latin seminarium, meaning “breeding ground” or “plant nursery,” which itself comes from the Latin seminarius, meaning “of seed.” Given the words’ phonological likeness, it's pretty obvious that they all come down to the Latin semen, “seed.” 5. FUNDAMENTAL Oops, you just said: Buttocks The 15th-century word “fundamental” is derived from the Late Latin fundamentalis, meaning “of the foundation,” which itself is from the earlier Latin fundamentum. While taking another step back won’t lead you to the buttocks, a small, crooked step forward will take you to fundamentum’s more immediate descendent, fundament, which has meant “anus” or “buttocks” since the 13th century. 6. AVOCADO Oops, you just said: Testicle Yet another generation that looked at plants and saw balls, 18th-century Spaniards took the vegetable fruit’s name from an earlier Spanish version, aquacate, which evolved from the region’s pre-conquest Nahuatl ahuakati, meaning “testicle.” 7. PENCIL Oops, you just said: Penis In the 14th century, “pencil” took on the meaning “an artist’s fine brush of camel hair” from the French pincel, meaning the same thing minus the camel part. Pincel came from the Latin penicillus, which means “paintbrush” or “pencil” but literally translates as “little tail,” the diminutive of the Latin penis, “tail.” 8. MUSK Oops, you just said: Scrotum Again we return to the testicles. “Musk,” the substance secreted from a male deer’s glandular sac, traces back to the Sanskrit muska-s, meaning “testicle,” because of its origin’s resemblance to a scrotum. For more evidence of our forefathers’ far-fetched visual association games, one need only trace muska-s back to its origin, mus, meaning “mouse,” which allegedly also looks like a scrotum. But why stop there when the same root gives us “muscle” from the Latin musculus, literally “little mouse.” How, you ask? Well, muscles, too, allegedly look like mice... which look like scrotums, which look like deer glands. 9. AMAZON Oops, you just said: Breastless woman In the late 1300s, the Greek spoke of the Amazones, a Scythian race of female warriors that, according to popular folk etymology, had an interesting custom of cutting or burning off one breast in order to draw bowstrings more easily. They stood out quite starkly as a- mazos, “without breasts.” The word cheap comes from Cheapside, a market in London. The Old English word was ceap (pronounced "keep"), which meant "to sell or barter." Because Cheapside was a major market where people went to barter for low prices, the word gradually took on a new pronunciation, and meaning. The word denim comes from Nimes, France. The tough cloth used in jeans was also made in Nimes. It was called serge di Nimes - later shortened to di nimes, which became denim. The word coffee comes from Kaffa, Ethopia. According to legend, coffee beans were first discovered in the town of Kaffa. By the 13th century, the Kaffa beans had traveled, becoming qahwah in Arabia, cafe in Europe, and finally coffee in the New World. The word cologne comes from Cologne, Germany. The scented water that was produced there beginning in 1709 was named for the city. The word slave comes from Slavonia, Yugoslavia. After large parts of Slavonia were subjugated by Europeans in the Middle Ages, a Slav became synonymous with someone who lived in servitude. Eventually Slav became slave. The word turquoise comes from Turkey/Europe. Turquoise comes from a number of places, but it was probably first imported to Europe from Turkey. So it was called turquoise, which means "Turkish stone." Jumbo was most likely originally the word for "elephant" in a west African language. It took on the meaning of "large" when an elephant in London zoo was named Jumbo in 1860 Quarantine comes from the French "qarante" for 40. Whenever a ship arriving in port was suspected of being infected it had to forego contact with the shore for a period of about 40 days. Hazard comes from the Arabic "al zahr" which means "the dice". The term came to be associated with dice during the Crusades and eventually took on a negative connotation because games of dice were associated with gambling Disaster comes from the Greek "dis" meaning bad, and "aster", meaning star. The ancient Greeks used to blame calamities on unfavorable planetary positions. Lemur comes from a Latin word that means "spirit of the dead". The person that named them cited their nocturnal nature as a source of influence. Loophole (or murder hole) originally referred to the slits in castle walls that archers would shoot their arrows through. Nice comes from a Latin word meaning "ignorant" Muscle comes from a Latin root meaning "little mouse". Apparently people used to think muscles looked like little mice under their skin. War comes from a Germanic root that meant "to confuse" Heresy comes from a Greek word meaning choice Pamphlet comes from the title of a Latin love poem called Pamphilus that was supposedly passed from person to person Lunatic is derived from the Latin word "luna" meaning "moon". It originated from the belief that insanity is caused by changes in the moon. Berserk comes form ancient Norse fighters that were known as Berserkers Jeans were named after their place of origin, Genoa, Italy. Curfew comes from a combination of two French words – "couvrir" and "feu". Literally this means to "cover fire". Lukewarm is actually a reduntant. Luke meant "warm" in Middle English so lukewarm technically would mean "warm warm". The word Soccer actually originated in the United Kingdom. Association Football was shortened to "socca" (derived from the middle of the word association). This turned into the word "soccer" that is still used in the US, Canada, and Australia. Mortgage comes from the French expression meaning "death pledge" Nightmare comes from an old English word "mare" that refers to a demon who suffocates you in your sleep Denim comes from Nimes, France. It was therefore originally called serge de Nimes or "fabric from Nimes". The "serge" soon disappeared and left us with "de Nimes". Buck, the slang term for an American dollar comes from the fact that on the American frontier deerskins were used as units of commerce. Addict comes from ancient Rome when soldiers were awarded slaves known as "addicts", which is the Latin word for slave. It eventually came to refer to a person who was a slave to anyone or anything. Noon comes from the Latin phrase "nona hora" or "ninth hour". In ancient Rome noon was actually around 3pm Malaria comes from the Latin phrase "mal aria" meaning "bad air" and was used to describe the atmosphere around the swamps of Rome. Tragedy comes from the Greek word "tragodia" which means "song of the male goat". Lost words fascinate people, and this one in particular. People started to use the word 'fopdoodle' in the 17th century. A 'fop' was a fool. A 'doodle' was a simpleton. So a 'fopdoodle' was a fool twice over. Country bumpkins would be called 'fopdoodles.' But so could the fashionable set, because 'fop' also developed the meaning of 'vain dandy'. 'Fopdoodle' is one of those words that people regret are lost when they hear about them. Dr. Johnson's Dictionary contains several delightful items that we no longer use. He tells us that a 'smellfeast' was 'a parasite, one who haunts good tables'. A 'worldling' was 'a mortal set upon profits'. A 'curtain-lecture' was 'a reproof given by a wife to her husband in bed.' The words may have gone, but the concepts are still with us. Words PETER SHARPE OCTOBER 11, 2010 Language is a fascinating thing. The words we use today are drawn from, and have evolved for, today’s usage from a wide variety of sources. One source is someone’s name. An eponym is a word that has its origin in a person’s name. This list contains 10 eponyms and their fascinating origins. Be sure to add any others you know to the comments…10 Mickey Named After: Mickey Finn This term refers to something added to someone’s drink, without their knowledge, that is designed to intoxicate, incapacitate or, at worst, kill them. The act of “Slipping someone a mickey” is common in detective stories and spy fiction. Mickey is named after Mickey Finn, a criminal who operated in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th century. He started off as a pickpocket whose favorite prey was the drunken patrons of the bars in South Chicago. He then became the proprietor of The Lone Star Saloon and Palm Garden Restaurant, which was where he put the technique that bears his name into practice. Finn, or one of his employees, would lace a patron’s drink with chloral hydrate. Once passed out, they would be escorted to a back room where they were then robbed and dumped into the street. When they came to, the effect of the drug left them with no memory of the events. Finn’s scam was eventually exposed and the bar was closed by authorities in 1903. 9 Silhouette Named After: Etienne de Silhouette The definition of silhouette is, “an image of a person, object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior”. Silhouettes are a popular artistic technique that started in the 18th century, with the outline of the subject being cut from black card. Artists that used them include Hans Christian Anderson and William Heath Robinson. The popularity of the form has grown, and they are widely used today. Many films, especially Films Noir, have used silhouettes for artistic effect. Silhouette is also a favorite technique of modern day photography & design, and many can be seen in optical illusions. As well as art, they have many practical applications such as road signs, and are used in Jane’s manuals to depict aircraft and other vehicles. Etienne de Silhouette was a French finance minister who, in 1759, imposed harsh economic demands on the country to fix France’s credit crisis during the seven years war. Some of his measures included taxing “signs of wealth”, such as doors, and seizing, and then smelting, gold and silverware. One of his hobbies was creating paper portraits. The term was, at the time, used to mock Silhouette and referred to something cheaply done. 8 Draconian Named After: Draco Draconian is defined as “unusually severe or cruel punishment”, but is often used nowadays to mean any sort of harsh regime or thought. It is often used in the press to refer to government policies, and is widely used in fiction. This is perhaps one of the most interesting entries. Draco was a lawmaker in Ancient Greece, who abolished the “oral law” system, and then replaced it with a written code, against which a person’s crimes would be judged in court. To ensure everyone was aware of the law, it was carved into wooden tablets and displayed for the population to see. This, arguably, laid the foundations for the system of law widely used today. So, the question is, how can a man who created a system which was fairer than the one which preceded it, have a negative word associated with him? The answer is in the laws that he created. Minor crimes that would result in a fine or a warning today, were punishable by death.7 Mentor Named After: Mentor from Greek Mythology This is another entry from Ancient Greece that has stood the test of time. A mentor is described as a “teacher or trusted counselor”. Mentoring is very common today, both on an informal basis and as a part of formal education programs. The idea of a Mentor is also very common in fiction. I am sure we have all had mentors, be they family, teachers or friends, who have guided us. In Homer’s Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, asks Mentor to look after his son, Telemachus, when Odysseus departs for the Trojan War. The two develop a near-paternal relationship, as Mentor (and the Goddess Athena, in disguise as Mentor) helps Telemachus to overcome the difficulties he faces. 6 Derrick Named After: Thomas Derrick A Derrick is a lifting device designed for moving large objects. They are used widely in engineering, and are also used to drill for oil and gas reserves. Thomas Derrick was a hangman in Elizabethan England. Derrick was a convicted rapist who was facing the death penalty. In an event that could be straight out of a spy film, Derrick was offered a pardon by the Earl of Essex, if he worked for the state as an executioner. During his time as a hangman, he designed a new system with a topping lift and pulley, as opposed to the rope over a beam method. Derrick executed over 3,000 people. One of whom, rather ironically, was The Earl of Essex, the man who pardoned him. 5 Boycott Named After: Captain Charles Boycott A boycott is defined as “the act of voluntarily abstaining from, using, buying or dealing with an organization or country as an expression of protest”. Boycotts are widely used today for a variety of reasons: I know (as I am sure you do, as well) people who avoid differing brands as an act of protest. At the other end of the scale, there have been examples of entire countries boycotting something: for example, the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Charles Boycott was an English Estate Agent in Ireland. In 1880, harvests were poor and many tenants were struggling to pay their rent. One landlord, Lord Erne, offered his tenants a ten percent reduction on their rents. Some of these rejected this and demanded 25%. This was refused by Erne, and Boycott then attempted to evict some of the protestors. Instead of violence, the protestors used a new kind of resistance, isolation. The simply refused to have any dealings with Boycott. This spread throughout the area. Boycott’s workers stopped, local businesses refused to deal with him and even the postman refused to deliver to him! As well as the problems caused by isolation the extra staff that Boycott needed to draft in from other areas resulted in him losing money on that year’s harvest. 4 Mesmerize Named After: Franz Mesmer Some definitions of mesmerize are “to attract strongly, like a magnet” and “to induce hypnosis in”. The kind of feeling you have when you just cannot take your eyes from something, despite any distractions, one where the outside world seems to disappear and all focus is on that which mesmerizes. Franz Mesmer was a German physician and astrologist. He is known for a particular medical procedure where he sat with a patient, looked into their eyes and made passes in front of their face. Mesmer believed that this would remove the barriers in our body and allow the free-flow of the processes of life. This procedure was later developed, by others, into the complex hypnosis procedures practiced today. Mesmer was highly criticized at the time for his procedures, mainly due to the lack of scientific evidence to support them. Disclaimer: Hypnosis is still a highly controversial area today. Some people think of it as a pseudoscience and some people swear by it. Personally, I am a sceptic but this article in no way wishes to provoke anyone. 3 Hoover Named After: William Henry Hoover William Henry Hoover was an American businessman who, in 1908, bought the patent to a model of vacuum cleaner designed by janitor, and friend, James Spangler. The company became the leading manufacturer of vacuum cleaners in the 20th century, and they are known for introducing a number of innovations to the market. Hoover was also known for his community spirit. He was a great philanthropist, using much of his wealth to improve the lives of his workers and others around Ohio, where his company was based. For example, he donated some of his land for a community centre, was instrumental in establishing railway lines in Ohio and served as president of the Goodwill Mission. He was nicknamed “boss” by his employees who held him in high esteem for the way he treated them. During the depression, Hoover held over $100,000 of home down payments for his employees and was known to personally visit sick employees.2 Sandwich Named After: John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich Although the act of eating bread with other foods dates back to prehistoric times, the modern sandwich was named after John Montagu. The exact circumstances for the naming is still a matter of debate, with 2 main hypothesizes being argued. The most popular one is that he asked his servants to bring him pieces of meat between slices of bread during long card games so the cards would not get damaged by the grease. The other is that, due to Montagu’s commitments as a statesmen, he needed a quick and easy meal which could be eaten at his desk, a concept that’s common today.Whichever story is correct, I am sure that he had no idea that what is now one of the most popular, versatile and enduring meals would bear his name. Over 1.69 billion sandwiches were bought in the UK last year. There is even a British Sandwich Association. As well as the eponymous sandwich, Montagu was a very important British statesman, who held many positions of high office in the armed forces and the government. He was an astute politician and an excellent diplomat. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty 3 times, and was also Secretary of State for the North of England. He was a big supporter of exploration, and helped to fund Captain James Cook’s voyages. This led to the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii), the South Sandwich Islands and Montagu Island, in Alaska, bearing his name.1 Sadism/Masochism Named After: The Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher Masoch Ok, I decided to leave this one till the end, not because I enjoy either of these acts personally, but because it is a fascinating example of the nature of eponyms and language. Two opposite ends of a scale, named after two totally unrelated men. The terms are widely used today and have medical, as well as social, applications. The Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) was a French revolutionary, aristocrat and author. He believed in extreme freedom from law, religion and morality. His books were full of sexual fantasies, with an emphasis on violence. This was highly controversial in its time, and Sade spent half his life in various asylums, where many of his works were written. Sade was also accused of various sexual crimes including violence, false imprisonment of prostitutes, sodomy and spiking people’s drinks so to gain sex from them. Conversely, Leopold von Sacher Masoch (1836-1895) was a harmless Austrian author and journalist. He was a utopian idealist whose writings contained many humanist and socialist ideas. Many of his works are, sadly, not translated into English. Some of his writing, including his best known work, Venus in Furs, described someone voluntarily receiving pain and humiliation from a sexual partner. Masoch believed this led to a state called “suprasensuality”. It is not known to what extent Masoch took part in these practices in real life, but there is some evidence that he did, including making himself a slave to one of his girlfriends for a period of six months. Masoch did this not for any sinister reason, but because he was a ultra-romantic who believed that the submission of a man in a male dominated society was an act of love.