You’re probably heard of babies named after brands: Porsche, Chanel, Armani, and, lest we forget, Tiffany. Now the Baby Name Wizard blog tells us about three baby names from the 1980s and 1990s that were inspired by TV advertising.
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On the other hand, you could name your offspring after a tech company or product. You wouldn’t be alone. (CNBC)
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It’s the last call for words of the year for 2018: Lynne Murphy pronounces “MSM” the US-to-UK WotY and “whilst” its UK-to-US equivalent. (I may have had something to do with the latter selection.) Over at his Not One-Off Britishisms blog, Ben Yagoda takes the measure of whilst.
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“In attempts to stand out in a crowded food service field, some food truck owners have gone for shock value, with mixed results,” writes trademark lawyer Anne Gilson LaLonde. (Strong Language)
The Buttz food truck was denied a contract with a school in the Houston Independent School District.
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During the Trump Shutdown, as I prefer to call it, some TSA employees who were working without pay “called out sick,” according to a NBC News report. Wait – isn’t it call in sick? Or call off sick? Well, it depends. (H/t Braulio Agnese)
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If great scientists had logos… pic.twitter.com/0dYpjDl6tJ
— Steve Stewart-Williams (@SteveStuWill) July 27, 2018
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The first U.S. presidential primaries are a year away, but there’s already a crowded field of potential Democratic candidates. CNN presents a guide to pronouncing their names (and some name-origin info, too).
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Speaking of pronunciation, here’s James Harbeck – just in time for Robert Burns Day!– with tips on how to pronounce the names of some Scotch whisky brands.
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Keep It Classy, Texas:
— Trademarks Are Magic (@TimberlakeLaw) January 12, 2019
Application to register:
BILF
as a trademark for:#beerhttps://t.co/9mNLg3FX6g#trademarks @RahrBrewing
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Book break! Three of my favorite word people on the internet – I’ve even met two of them IRL – have books coming out in the near or very near future.
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Dreyer’s English, copy editor Benjamin Dreyer’s utterly correct guide, is out next week from Random House.
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The Dictionary of Difficult Words, by lexicographer Jane Solomon, is a reference book for kids that adults will enjoy, too. It will be published by Lincoln Books on April 30.
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Because Internet is linguist Gretchen McCulloch’s book on “the new rules of language,” will be published July 23 by Riverhead.
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Josephine Livingstone’s letter of recommendation for Old English: “Old English speakers can treat metaphor as an occasion to innovate; Modern English simply tries to describe.”
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The Brand New blog posted before-and-after images of the U.S. Department of Defense logo without explanation – because none was provided. But commenters had plenty to say (“So bad.” “Actively horrible.” “Mind if I laugh?””Dafuq?”) I like Andy Hollenbeck’s observation: “If they ever want to start a Department of Offense, they’ve got their logo. It is offensive.”
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Let’s end on a more pacific note: Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, calls itself “the leading independent journal of Buddhism in the West.” Why is it called Tricycle? “A three-wheeled vehicle aptly evokes the fundamental components of Buddhist philosophy. Buddhism itself is often referred to as the ‘vehicle to enlightenment,’ and the tricycle’s three wheels allude to the three treasures: The Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, or the enlightened teacher, the teachings, and the community.” An excellent example of evocative, non-descriptive naming.
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