Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words

by John Bemelmans Marciano

An encyclopedia of linguistic biographies: the witty, illustrated stories of the Earl of Sandwich, Charles Boycott, and other historical figures better known as words than people.

Eponymous, adj. Giving one's name to a person, place, or thing.

Anonymous, adj. Anonymous.

Anonyponymous, adj. Anonymous and eponymous.

The Earl of Sandwich, fond of salted beef and paired slices of toast, found a novel way to eat them all together. Etienne de Silhouette, a former French finance minister, was so notoriously cheap that his name became a byword for chintzy practices—such as substituting a darkened outline for a proper painted portrait. Both bequeathed their names to the language, but neither man is remembered.

In this clever and funny book, John Bemelmans Marciano illuminates the lives of these anonyponymous persons. A kind of encyclopedia of linguistic biographies, the book is arranged alphabetically, giving the stories of everyone from Abu "algorithm" Al-Khwarizmi to Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Along with them you'll find the likes of Harry Shrapnel, Joseph-Ignace Guillotine, and many other people whose vernacular legacies have long outlived their memory.

Accented by amusing line portraits and short etymological essays on subjects like "superhero eponyms," Anonyponymous is both a compendium of trivia and a window into the fascinating world of etymology. Carefully curated and unfailingly witty, this book is both a fantastic gift for language lovers and a true pleasure to read.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Language, Reference, Ebooks, Biography, Linguistics

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 2009

About the author

John Bemelmans Marciano carries on the legacy begun by his grandfather, Ludwig Bemelmans, author and illustrator of the Madeline books, with stunning watercolor artwork and playful, energetic storytelling.

Reviews

[Larry Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confession time: I'm a word nerd. Which has me wondering why I wound up a psychology major and not an English major. Then again, neither one is likely to land you a decent job in the real world :-) I eat up this sort of book, full of entertaining tidbits about language and perfect for that quick trip to the loo. I enjoyed this one thoroughly; it seemed well-researched while written with tongue firmly in cheek. Recommended for anyone who loves words and fun tales.

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I happened across this book while searching for something else in my public library's card catalog. I couldn't resist the title and immediately put it on hold. I found it to be just what I expected - a fun and humorous look at "the forgotten people behind everyday words." John Bemelmans Marciano shares information in a light and enjoyable way. I learned quite a few bits of information that I hadn't known before, and I even learned a few new words.

The danger with this type of book is that you are suddenly armed with all sorts of trivial facts to share with friends and co-workers. Be careful! They might not be quite as interested to learn all about how the graham cracker got its name (invented by a Presbyterian minister named Sylvester Graham to help people avoid more stimulating foods), or a run-down on the many hats that are eponymous - named after people, characters in plays, a title of a play, a horse race, and even a poem (bowler, derby, fedora, trilby, stetson, havelock, busby, and tam-o-shanter). As you can see, even a little bit of this information goes a long way! :)

I did at times feel like the information given just skimmed the surface and was a bit short. I would have liked more detailed information for the words and people I found interesting. But I didn't feel that way about each word. So this is also a nice book for introducing you to some great bits of history, words, and people which can then act as a springboard to searching for additional information.

Note: He did tend to emphasize some words dealing with adult-type subjects, so I wouldn't recommend this book for children.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you ever wonder what Kellogg's cereal and masturbation have in common? Of course not! No one has. (Or if they have, I don't want to know about it!) But, there is a connection. Anonyponymous (anonymous + eponymous) gives you the inside scoop on the people behind some common words. Learn about the conspiracy theory behind Diesel and his engine, why stealing nectar from the gods is never a good idea, and just how sick a bastard the Marquis de Sade really was. Whether you enjoy etymology, historical anecdotes, or just bizarre factoids, you'll really get a kick out of this book! Extremely entertaining!!

(First Reads Win)

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book!

[J. Wootton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short book of trivia is a quick and sometimes chuckle-worthy read. Marciano explores historical figures whose proper nouns were used in figures of speech and/or passed into common nouns over time, obscuring the original persons whose deeds (actual or legendary) gave rise to the words in the first place.

The sort of book one keeps in the guest bathroom, on the desk at the office just for fun, or not at all.

[Carin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book combines a couple of my favorite things: obscure words and useless trivia. Did you know that the guy who invented the trapeze also was named Leotard and invented the leotard as well? That was just kind of accidental - he wanted to be more flashy and was showing off his muscles. This is an example of an anonyponymous word. It is both eponymous (named after a person) and anonymous (a person you've never heard of.) The Earl of Sandwich is the most famous of these people, except that by dint of being famous for being anonyponymous, he's no longer anonymous, so that ends up excluding him after all. Ironic.

A few of these I already knew. I had a great book in 11th grade for vocabulary building and that used some of these hilarious and bizarre stories to explain to students in a way they'd understand, and more importantly remember, words like galvanize, maudlin, and martinet. Also in middle school a couple of times we had teachers call in sick too late to get a substitute, so our principal subbed. He'd come in and say, "What is this class, science? Math? Well we're going to learn about The Civil War." Naturally, he had been a history teacher. But he also knew what would get kids' attention and stick in their memory, and he told us about General Hooker and General Burnside, and their namesakes. It was quite shocking in Catholic school to have your principal talking about hookers, let me tell you!

Some of my favorites: Silhouette was a French politician so parsimonious that the word designates anything cheap (and naturally flimsy). Delaware I thought was a Native American word, but no, it is for Thomas De La Warre, governor of Jamestown. Papazarri was the most random: a character name from Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (and yes the character is a celebrity photographer), that came from the owner of an Italian hotel mentioned in a 1901 travel memoir. Quisling was hilarious because he was even disliked by Hitler which is certainly saying something. Shrapnal surprised me as being named after a person, but once I knew that it wasn't surprising that he invented an exploding cannon ball.

The book has charming and amusing illustrations throughout. It was a fun distraction, perfect for any wordophile.

PS: more random trivia. The author is the son of Ludwig Bemelmans, most famous for illustrating the Madeline books, but who also painted murals in an eponymous bar, Bemelmans, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a truly excellent place for a philosophical conversation on a rainy afternoon.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short, funny book with the true stories of the etymology of words that were derived from the names of real people. I love stuff like this! History really is weird sometimes. Each eponymous etymology is explained with plenty of wit, keeping things interesting and fun.
Some of them, like the Earl of Sandwich and Madame de Pompadour, I already knew; but most were new to me. An easy and informative read if you like random trivia (and I do)!

[Kewannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're an English major, etymology freak or just an all round literary freak you'll love this book.

I'm loving the breakdown of words we use frequently that are named because of a single person. The book gives a definition, the story of how the word came to be and the person who inspired it. V. fascinating and probable cocktail party banter.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب جالب و خنده داریه در مورد افرادی که کلماتی رو ساختن که ما امروزه ازشون استفاده میکنیم اما اون فردی که اون کلمه رو ساخت رو فراموش کردیم. نثرش ساده و خنده داره، و خوندنش سریع جلو میره. توصیف شخصیت ها بیشتر با طنز همراهه و اصلا حصوله سر بر نیست.


Etymologically speaking, a guy came to mean someone of grotesque appearance, which came to include everyone, at least in America.

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

short, sometimes silly, history of various words. not the biggest fan of how many had to do with *ahem* adult scenarios, but overall this is just my kind of random fun facts and made for a fun afternoon of reading.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

27th - 2011

Mulanya buku ini dibaca karena iseng. Di dalam taksi, jalanan macet, tidak bawa buku pula, daripada bengong aku pun membuka ponsel dan mencari ebook yang lumayan sedikit halamannya. Jreng! Terpilihlah buku ini dengan manisnya. Baca satu halaman, dua halaman... eh, lha kok ya menarik. Jadi menyesal waktu taksi sudah sampai tujuan, karena aku terpaksa harus menutup ebooknya. Akhirnya sisa halaman kutamatkan dalam perjalanan pulang.

Jadi, seperti judulnya, buku ini memang tentang asal usul kata yang berasal dari nama seseorang, yang umumnya tidak diketahui banyak orang. Coverboy di sampul buku adalah salah satu contohnya, yaitu John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich yang ke-4, yang roti isi kegemarannya akhirnya dikenal dengan namanya.

Karena aku suka etimologi, jelas aku suka buku ini. Sebagian aku sudah tahu dari bacaan lain, seperti Algorithm berasal dari Al-Khwarizmi, Sadisme dari Marquis de Sade, Diesel dari Rudolf Diesel, dll. Tapi banyak pengetahuan baru dari buku tipis ini:

Cardigan : James Thomas Brudenell, Earl of Cardigan, yang memberi pasukannya rompi rajutan agar tidak kedinginan
Hooker : Fighting Joe Hooker, yang menempatkan para PSK di Washington DC di area tertentu yang akhirnya dinamai Hooker's Division.
Leotard : Jules Leotard, yang menemukan akrobat trapeze sekalian pakaian ketat untuk menonjolkan otot-ototnya.
Masochism : Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, yang menulis cerita tentang laki-laki yang suka disiksa oleh lawan jenisnya.
Shrapnel : Henry Shrapnel, pencipta bola meriam yang bisa meledak
Silhouette : Etienne de Silhouette, menteri keuangan Prancis yang segitu tidak kompetennya, sehingga segala sesuatu yang dibuat dengan murahan dijuluki a la Silhouette (Silhouette banget!), termasuk membuat lukisan tanpa gambar, hanya bagian hitamnya saja.
Hari-hari dalam bahasa Inggris:
- Sunday, Sun-day
- Monday, Moon-day
- Tuesday, Tiw's day (dewa Viking yang mana nih?)
- Wedneysay, Woden's day (dewa Viking juga)
- Thursday, Thor's day (yang ini dewa Viking anggota The Avengers, kan?)
- Friday, Frig's day (dewa Viking juga)
- Saturday, Saturn's day (balik ke dewa Romawi)
Dan asal-usul kata lainnya dari A sampai Z, lengkap dengan imbuhan latar belakangnya masing-masing.

Ups, geek mode on deh... ;)

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light-hearted fun-to-read book on the eponymous; words that are derived from a person's name. John Marciano has a witty and opinionated way of writing that works well. This rather thin book doesn't try to have every word imaginable. But the entries on words like "diesel", "galvanize", and "bowdlerize" are all charming and informative. It seems to be well researched even though Ive heard so many stories about Thomas Crapper and Fighting Joe Hooker and the origin of the words that "honor" the men that I can't vouch that Marciano's take is the definitive one. I especially like the entries for words that I had no idea they came from a person, such as "hooligan" or "dunce". There is even a short chapter on those eponymous that didn't pass the test of time like "milquetoast" (a weakling), "Pull a brody" (commit suicide) and "bogart" ("Don't bogart that joint, my friend"). I wish the book was longer but, as it stands, it is an entertaining book that is perfect either for browsing or reading from cover to cover.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book very much. Each entry is a short explanation of an epononymous word and where it came from. I very much like the concise format and the writer is very readable. In addition to the factual data, there is a mix of the writer's opinion, either about the word or the word's epynomimous source, which keeps the work from being dictionary dry. I appreciate the additional commentary, even when I don't agree with the particular comment (which happens more than once). I think the roughest point in the book's writing is in the commentary on "crapper", notably paragraph 2, 1st sentence. You'll have to track down a copy to see what I mean.

I recommend reading this book. It makes a good gift for tech writers, editors, and those whose jobs deal with words and their meanings or those who just like words.

I won an advance reading copy of this book as part of the First Reads contest.

[Al Hott · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 3 pages I was ready to quit as I felt it was like reading a dictionary or encyclopedia. However I continued for some reason and then I thoroughly enjoyed the entire "opinionated dictionary".

It is written in a light-hearted manner and has the reader chuckling quite often to himself.

One word of caution is that the book should probably be rated NC-16 or perhaps even "R" as it is occasionally somewhat above reading recommended for youngsters.

Never have I realized that many of today's everyday words come from people's names from the past. Some were famous people in their day and some were even mythical but their names were used to help make up our language.

So Anonyponymous,though not in most dictionaries, actually could mean unknon people whose names make up other words. And those words are usually related in some way to the original anonymous person.

Give it a try. Believe you will be amused and yet you may learn something. I think I did.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which I received from the Goodreads firstreads giveaway, was surprisingly good. It balanced humor with information in a way that kept you reading and even looking forward to the next tidbit of knowledge.

This book would make an excellent gift for any English major or just word lover that you know. It would also work quite well as a coffee table book, since in lends itself to just being read in small sections instead of all at once.

So, if you have any interest in were words such as "hooker" or "sideburns" came from, or if you are just looking for a easy funny read where you might learn something, then I definitely recommending picking up this book.

[Eling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more-- I think the idea behind it is really interesting, and just the sort of etymology my geeky side likes. But the writing style got to me-- I found it overly casual-- and the alphabetical reference formatting of the book made it so that I was more aware of and annoyed by both the casual writing style and the widely varying quality and quantity of content. This would be a fun book to pick up & read at random, but not necessarily read through as I did. On the other hand, I don't really find the content of the book to be so impressive that I would actually keep it on my shelf as a reference book.

[Jan De la Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great read. Like nerd olympics required material.

A fashion bit from the book for you all:

Fédora debuted in 1882 with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role, a part written expressly for her by Victorien Sardou. Sardou and Bernhardt would work together many times, most famously in La Tosca (later adapted by Puccini), but it was the hat-wearing Princess Fédora Romanoff who set off a craze, as many a female fan of Bernhardt took to the streets sporting a fedora in a statement of both fashion and women’s liberation.

Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words (John Marciano)
- Highlight Loc. 550-53

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is a blast to read, it is about the origin of words... a topic I love. But these words are based on humans' names, so we get to learn the who and how of a word's origin. Like the Earl of Sandwich, and Etienne de Silhouette, these are words we take for granted, not knowing there is a person behind them. It is an interesting way to be remembered - except we don't really remember the person.
If you know someone who enjoys learning the origin of words, they would definitely like this 'opinionated' dictionary.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you only have snatches of time available to read. It's about words that have come to us via a person's name, ie "silhouette"...Blame Etienne de Silhouette is the culprit who gave us that word. If this fact intrigues you, and you like this sort of data you'll love this small but very interesting book. Plus the author has a marvelous sense of humor, he is the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, the creator of the children's stories about "Madeline." Wonderful books with humor and the grandson follows in his footsteps.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little book for all the word nerds like myself who are fascinated with how words came to be. It is written in a very casual, wryly humorous style that meanders through its collections of words whose origins came from names of people. Each entry, however, gives more than just a standard etymology. It describes the history of the person and the word and how the word came into being. And several of the words are very surprising. Gerrymander? Maverick? Pants?! Oh yes, they are all in there along with several more.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun little book. It's a good balance of factual information, humor and a little of the authors opinions. The history on the words is kept to manageable lengths (usually 2-4 paragraphs), so you won't be overwhelmed with facts. I would definitely recommend this book to people who like knowing why things are the way they are. And this book is short enough that you may actually be able to remember them all. Well written, informative and fun.

[zed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluff for trivia buffs.

[Dave Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, breezy, fairly clever single-use read. I chuckled out loud a few times.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

So. This is the part where I'm supposed to write an intelligent, witty, and enlightening review about how amazing or how terrible Anonyponymous is. Because I hate writing book reviews and I'm not good at them, this will be none of those things. I like words. I like word histories. I like etymology, especially if there are not tests or grades involved. I like snark and snarky writing, which Marciano employs judiciously. My only complaint is that I could not figure out how the notes at the end were enumerated*. But maybe I just don't understand endnotes. Or maybe, since the numbering started at 7 and went straight to 10, Marciano was thinking something special that he didn't share with anyone. I'd suggest the Fibonacci sequence starting at seven, but there are no repeated numbers in the Fibonacci sequence. I don't think.

I received a free copy through FirstReads in exchange for an honest review.

*(EDIT:) Now I feel kind of stupid because I think the numbering is to what page the endnote refers. I should check, but I won't. Dear Self, Be smarter. Love, Me.

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words" is written by John Marciano who is perhaps best known for being an author in the children's series "Madeline". This, his latest work, is a very easy to read book, most suitable for "word geeks," literature lovers, linguistics students, students of the history of the English language, or anyone who is a fan of trivia.

This book covers the origin of several words that are commonplace in the English language, but originally owed their start to being part of someone's name. Most people are aware of the Earl of Sandwich and his relationship to the food that bears his name, Mr. Crapper and his relationship to the toilet, and the word sadism as coming from Marquis de Sade. What about the pair of pants you are wearing? The word "pants" (originally Pantaloon) were named for Pantaleon, a physician. Shrapnel was named for Henry Shrapnel, the inventor of an exploding cannonball. You can read more about the origin of these words and many more by reading this book.

"Anonyponymous" is an entertaining read, although rather short, and is about the perfect size as a "stocking stuffer" for the holiday season

[Kathleen (itpdx) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am fascinated with the etymology of words. So this book about words that have come from names caught my eye. It is a light-hearted and humorous look at the people behind some American English words. Some of the humor is sophomoric like the comment that solon is not used often because it rhymes with colon. I particularly liked the explanation of where the English names for the days of the week come from and why some are different than the Romance language day names--something that has puzzled me for many years.
I didn't find the notes at the back of the book until I was about a third of the way through the book. In some cases the regular entries were incomplete and puzzling without the notes. I am not sure why the author chose to put some information in the notes--maybe to make the main entries snappier. I would have been happier with most of that information in the body of the book rather than having to flip back and forth.
Some of the best information is in the appendices--don't miss them.

[Alistair Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

And now a rather late review of this LibraryThing Early Reviewers book, which we received back in October of last year, but which somehow spent rather too long sitting around on my desk before I got around to reading it. But then, if you'd ever seen my desk, I'm sure you'd understand how such things could happen.

Anonyponymous is a word coined by the author, referring to those people who are both eponymous, i.e., have had their names turned into words at some point in the past, and anonymous, because we've forgotten that fact. And this books tells some of those stories.

Well, I wouldn't call it a serious study of this linguistic phenomenon - but then, it's not trying to be - and at least from my perspective, not all of them are as forgotten as all that. But it is a fun book to have lying around on the coffee table or in the bathroom, especially if you - or guests you expect to have - love words.

Not sure I'd have paid hardback cover price for it, though.

( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/ce... )

[Remo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curioso libro sobre el origen de algunas palabras que derivan de un nombre propio, de alguien en concreto. Desde el consabido Sandwich, creado por el duque de Sandwich para no tener que levantarse de la mesa y poder comer mientras trabajaba/jugaba a las cartas (hay dos versiones de la historia), nuestro viejo y querido al-Khwarizmi y sus algoritmos (que no logaritmos), el sorprendente número de personas que han dado nombre a flores (Empezando por Louise-Anton de Bouganville, Mr. Garden el de las gardenias, Joel Poinsett el de las ponsetias...). Hay un montón de palabras de uso común que vienen de un nomber propio.
Muchas de las palabras son sólo de uso común en inglés, por lo que al lector español se la trae un poco al pairo, pero otras, muchas, nos llenarán de ese asombro breve cuando descubrimos lo inesperado.
Muy entretenido.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the idea behind this book - short biographies of people whose names have became part of our language, but who have been largely forgotten. Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about this book in the end. It was an engaging read and the author is clearly a word lover who has done a lot of interesting research (he's the grandson of the author of the Madeleine books). On the other hand, there just seemed to be an excess of content relating to sexual deviancy.

I do realize that books about the language will tend to discuss some mature content, which is, naturally, a part of our language. It's not entirely unfair. But I guess it was a little disappointing that I couldn't share such a charming and inviting little book with my children.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out as very interesting...word origins can be quite fascinating. However, I soon got a little irritated by some of the author's interjections...I should have already known from the title, though, that this was an "opinionated dictionary", not just an educational one. I don't know whether lots of words that come from people just tend towards adult topics, or if this author just liked those best, but this is NOT a book I would recommend for the young student of etymology. Interesting and sometimes quite fun, but not going on my favorites list.