Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

notes.rolandcrosby.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 346 posts

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#161

Post by Kwpolska »

yau8edq12i wrote: post #110
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…

Funny enough, the French word for a garbage can is also named after someone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Poubelle the prefect who made the use of garbage containers mandatory in Paris.

Continuing with the trend, the Polish word for outhouse is sławojka, named after Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski, a prime minister who is responsible for making them mandatory in the countryside in the 1920s, and apparently touring the country to check how sanitary they are. https://pl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%82awojka

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#163

Post by jszymborski »

rob74 wrote: post #151
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...

Haha yah, it's always felt sardonic.

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#165

Post by lb1lf »

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…

Incidentally, 'kuk' is a Norwegian word, a somewhat pejorative synonym for 'penis', but almost as versatile as the four-letter word - it can be used as an adjective, a verb, an adverb, a noun etc.

Saying that 'something is kuka/kuket' means it is messed up beyond repair.

Even as I approach my fifties, I have to stifle a chuckle every time I see a KUKA robot. Kids never really grow up, I guess.

As for things named after people, the probably most prominent example in Norwegian today is the so-called 'Brustadbu', named after former minister of children and families, Sylvia Brustad.

The government she was in introduced a new law governing opening hours for convenience stores, effectively barring stores above 100sqm (1,100 sqft) from being open on Sundays.

Predictably, this gave rise to a lot of stores measuring 99.9sqm, colloquially referred to as 'Brustadbu'/'Brustad sheds'.

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#167

Post by rzzzt »

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…

Rudolf let his greatest opportunity slide when he named his company Puma instead of Rudidas.

Re: Things unexpectedly named after people (2020)

#168

Post by russdill »

thih9 wrote: post #96
russdill wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you're getting the idea.

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

They seem entirely expected, or at least not unexpected. Reading them doesn't lead you to assume some alternate obvious but wrong explanation. Imagine learning (made up example) that the musical triangle was named for it's inventor, "Stuart Triangle".
Post reply on HN