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Best ‘Global Aptonyms’ of 2008
Best ‘Global Aptonyms’ of 2008
By Jim Romano
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As we approach the end of 2008, the media is filled with reflections of the past year and “Best of” lists. Not to be outdone, we’ve compiled our own list of the best Global Aptonyms of 2008.
What’s a global aptonym? Well, an aptonym is a name that is perfectly suited for the person, such as Sonya Shears, the hairdresser, or magazine fact-checker Paige Worthy.
In our globalized media culture, the potential for deliciously ironic aptonyms across languages and cultures is that much greater.
So here are people in the news in 2008 whose names, in one language or another, are truly better than fiction.
1) Bernard Madoff (pronounced made-off). English is now the official language of the Ponzi scheme, and the aptonymic Madoff takes the cake as the King of Con.
2) Usain Bolt. This Jamaican sprinter captured the world’s attention as well as two gold medals at the Summer Games in Beijing. The aptly-named Bolt also captured the media’s attention, which nicknamed him “Lightning Bolt” and “Bolt from the blue”. Usain’s pet name, according to his grandmother, was ‘Vijay,’ a Hindi word/name meaning ‘victory.’
3) Derek Jeter. Captain of the Yankees since 2003 and nine-time All Star shortstop, Jeter (whose name means “throw” in French) delivered a sub-par 2008. But it’s not time to bid him adieu yet—he’ll be back in ‘09.
4) Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The British slang term “to blag” means “to lie, or use clever talk with profit as an objective, to wheedle or persuade for gain.” How apt for this big-banged braggadocio who was allegedly caught on tape bartering for President-elect Obama’s Senate seat.
5) Judge Judge. In July of this year, Sir Igor Judge became Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. He joins the likes of the great aponymic appellate judge Learned Hand (1872-1961).
6) North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il (김정일) was mysteriously missing and reported to be gravely, well, not well, over several months in 2008. Perhaps an aptonym of circumstance?
7) Steven Greenhouse. This New York Times reporter wrote about the growing green business movement. Thanks to Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner, who tracks aptonyms in his NYT blog.
… and two persons whose names became household aptonyms in 2008:
8) Carlo Ponzi (1882-1949), the padrino of the pyramid scheme. While the pyramid scheme pre-dated Ponzi, his name became synonymous with it, and his occupation is listed in Wikipedia as “con man” (whereas Bernard Madoff’s occupation is listed as “financial services, investment management.”
9) Sam Maverick. This nineteenth-century Texan is the source of the term “maverick,” referring to someone who’s independent-minded. He refused to brand his cattle, giving rise to the impression that he was going his own way. The term became the “brand” of the McCain-Palin Presidential campaign, and was parodied () by Tina Fey.
Other candidates for best aptonyms of the year? Though 2008 draws to a close, the list is still open! Email them to us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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