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Tawdry Knickers and Other Unfortunate Ways to Be Remembered: A Saucy and Spirited History of Ninety Notorious Namesakes
Some are born notorious.
Others have notoriety thrust upon them.
Few realize that their morning mouthwash bears the name of a life- saving British baron or that their sugary graham crackers would be abhorred by the health-food fanatic who concocted the flavorless original recipe. Throughout history, the proper names of figures both noble and notorious have slipped into the common and uncommon corners of our vocabulary. Tawdry Knickers and Other Unfortunate Ways to Be Remembered details the lamentable lives and legacies of history's most infamous namesakes and the words they
*Henry Shrapnel died of natural causes, despite having invented the shells whose shattering fragments would rain hellfire on soldiers from the Battle of Waterloo through the Vietnam War.
*Poor virgin St. Audrey suffered from a bulging neck tumor and the unwanted advances of an unsympathetic husband, but never lived to hear crass vendors eventually hawk her "tawdry" lace.
*If New York blueblood Harmen Knickerbocker isn't rolling over in his grave, his nineteenth-century drawers are at least in a twist over having his venerable family name associated with underwear.
*Barbara Handler has never been happy about providing the name for the original Barbie, to say nothing of her doll's plastic relationship with Ken-named for her real-life brother.
*In contrast to these, dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel avoided the inevitable "merchant of death" epitaph awaiting him by using his enormous explosives fortune to establish the Nobel Prize Foundation.
Want to know where your words come from? The surprising, humorous, and often ironic stories behind ninety notable eponyms will take you on an undercover tour of the etymological sausage factory.
Others have notoriety thrust upon them.
Few realize that their morning mouthwash bears the name of a life- saving British baron or that their sugary graham crackers would be abhorred by the health-food fanatic who concocted the flavorless original recipe. Throughout history, the proper names of figures both noble and notorious have slipped into the common and uncommon corners of our vocabulary. Tawdry Knickers and Other Unfortunate Ways to Be Remembered details the lamentable lives and legacies of history's most infamous namesakes and the words they
*Henry Shrapnel died of natural causes, despite having invented the shells whose shattering fragments would rain hellfire on soldiers from the Battle of Waterloo through the Vietnam War.
*Poor virgin St. Audrey suffered from a bulging neck tumor and the unwanted advances of an unsympathetic husband, but never lived to hear crass vendors eventually hawk her "tawdry" lace.
*If New York blueblood Harmen Knickerbocker isn't rolling over in his grave, his nineteenth-century drawers are at least in a twist over having his venerable family name associated with underwear.
*Barbara Handler has never been happy about providing the name for the original Barbie, to say nothing of her doll's plastic relationship with Ken-named for her real-life brother.
*In contrast to these, dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel avoided the inevitable "merchant of death" epitaph awaiting him by using his enormous explosives fortune to establish the Nobel Prize Foundation.
Want to know where your words come from? The surprising, humorous, and often ironic stories behind ninety notable eponyms will take you on an undercover tour of the etymological sausage factory.
- GenresNonfictionHumor
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 30, 2017
As much as I am fan of history and love learning stories that are behind events I was actually quite disappointed with this book. Although it does a wonderful job in covering so much different areas of life such as fashion, martial terms, etc. it is presented in such a boring fashion that it didn't hold my attention.
The first main problem I had was the fact that it wasn't easily accessible to the reader. Although each group of historical persons was covered under an umbrella chapter there were no page numbers listed so one cannot just easily jump to an entry that interests them but must flip to the chapter then browse and at those times when they were recommended in other chapters it was basically the recommended word given in italics surrounded by parenthesizes, which means more work for those who do show some interest.
At the same time there was a timeline in the back of the book but instead of collecting them by centuries it was just a random one that provided birthdays, death dates and other dates by days of each month with the years in in parenthesizes plus the etymological contributions. Definitely again not organized nor easily movable for those who are just wanting to know one or two things.
Altogether it was a decent book to introduce oneself to some of the little known back stories that make up not only our history but our language. Although decently presented it can give the reader with a stepping stone if they would like to learn more on their own about any particular time in history, events or even people.
The first main problem I had was the fact that it wasn't easily accessible to the reader. Although each group of historical persons was covered under an umbrella chapter there were no page numbers listed so one cannot just easily jump to an entry that interests them but must flip to the chapter then browse and at those times when they were recommended in other chapters it was basically the recommended word given in italics surrounded by parenthesizes, which means more work for those who do show some interest.
At the same time there was a timeline in the back of the book but instead of collecting them by centuries it was just a random one that provided birthdays, death dates and other dates by days of each month with the years in in parenthesizes plus the etymological contributions. Definitely again not organized nor easily movable for those who are just wanting to know one or two things.
Altogether it was a decent book to introduce oneself to some of the little known back stories that make up not only our history but our language. Although decently presented it can give the reader with a stepping stone if they would like to learn more on their own about any particular time in history, events or even people.
March 24, 2015
Great fun with a twist of history. While I knew that the AK-47 was named after its inventor, as was the Maginot Line, I didn't know the full stories behind these eponyms or any of the myriad others covered in this book. Novak has a delightfully naughty sense of humor (not obscene, just naughty) and an enjoyable sense of the absurd, both of which make this book more than merely a collection of historical tidbits. Do I feel much better educated after reading this? Well, maybe just a little. But I was certainly entertained and I got many glimpses into parts of history I'd not otherwise have encountered. I hate to say it, for fear that someone will take it as an insult rather than the compliment I intend, but this is perfect bathroom reading. It's amusing and informative and none of the articles is more than a couple of pages long.
November 17, 2017
Interesting stuff, good for the odd ice-breaker at parties.
April 4, 2011
The best kind of nonfiction: amusing yet educational. Chock full of all kinds of biographical fact nuggets that make you say "I had no idea that's where that came from....." It is amazing for what kinds of reasons people become a household name.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews