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Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

notes.rolandcrosby.com

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Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#151

Post by rob74 »

jszymborski wrote: post #111

This one is a bit too niche but I love it: In Quebec, there is a tax one pays to your municipality upon the purchase of a house called the "Taxe de Bienvenue". This translates to "Welcome Tax", which it commonly is called by anglos. Many clever folks might overhear you call it that and say "Welll actuuallyy it is named after a minister by the name of Jean Bienvenue, and so that translation is incorrect". Well, it tur…

Well yeah, I guess the perverse naming (having to pay a tax isn't really likely to make you feel welcome) led people to look for alternative explanations...

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#154

Post by rob74 »

msiemens wrote: post #127

A few German companies: - Aldi (supermarket chain), founded by the Albrecht brothers, thus AL brecht DI skont - Adidas, founded by AD olf DAS sler - Mercedes-Benz, named by Emil Jellinek-Mercedes after his daughter Mercedes, initially with Daimler which then merged with Benz - Audi, founded by August Horch. Initially founded as _A. Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke Zwickau_, he later lost the rights to the name "Horch". H…

I sometimes feel that German founders are too stuck on naming their company after themself, some of them really should have looked for alternatives, e.g. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppelfricke

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#156

Post by MiddleEndian »

mkl wrote: post #125
thih9 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the idea? How are these different from e.g. erlang, elo or shrapnel - all featured on the page?

" Unexpectedly named after people". Erlang seems to be short for for Ericsson Language, Elo is often misspelled ELO as if it stands for something. Shrapnel is less unexpected.

I swear I correct people about Elo vs ELO two to three times a year.

And yes I am a great party guest!

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#157

Post by aaronbrethorst »

netsharc wrote: post #109
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #44

One of my favorites is that the creator of Pilates was a guy named Joe Pilates. It’s like if the inventor of yoga was named Vivek Yoga (which is not the case, to be clear.)

I think I was an adult when I heard the term Pilates.. why would it be intriguing, if his name were Brethorst people would be saying "Let's do you Brethorst exercises!"

Words are weird

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#159

Post by lepetitpedre »

saithound wrote: post #62

The generic Hungarian word for trash cans, 'kuka', unexpectedly originates from the names of German industrialists Johann Josef Keller and Jakob Knappich. The story is quite involved, to the extent that one would be tempted to dismiss it as a folk etymology, if it wasn't ridiculously well-attested. Keller and Knappich founded an acetylene factory in Augsburg, Bavaria in 1898. They named it Keller und Knappich Augsbur…

Don’t google kuk(a) in Sweden
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