Skip to main content

All for JACK

Got to thinking about the use of popular Christian names that are associated with other words to form new words. One of them that to me seems ahead of the pack in terms of widespread use is Jack.

Carjack (and there are 2 kinds - one that props the car and the other that explains what happens when you are taken against your will)

Pepper Jack (as in the cheese)

Magic Jack (as in the cheap alternative to talk to all the Jacks using the Jack and a phone)

Jack in the Box (that needs to be taken out of the box to be eaten)

Blackjack (a novel way to get rid of your money or conversely depending on which side of the table you are on - of making easy money)

Jackrabbit (why so many in the animal kingdom also got affiliated with human names beats me) while Jackfruit actually gets into the fruits too,

Jackass (if you have not figured out what this blog is about)

I wonder if Jill (since tumbling down the hill with him no less), Mike, Rob, Dave feel slighted?

Btw - Jack of all trades really sums it up!

Comments

  1. RajendraJuly 20, 2011 at 1:34 AM

    Wonder if there is an Indian equivalent?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Diamond HeadJuly 20, 2011 at 5:02 PM

    I did think about it.

    Ram might be closest - given anything with a Ram added lends it more credibility in local market.

    Ram Ram (as in greetings) to Ram ban (best fit) to Aram (chill)...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

But What If We're Wrong?

I attempted to read this book by author Chuck Klosterman backward to forward but it started hurting my brain so I decided to stop and do it like any other publication in the English language.  Start from page 1 and move to the right. Witty, caustic and thought provoking this is a book you want to read if you believe that the status quo might, just might be wrong. At times bordering on being contrarian about most things around us it tries to zero in on the notion of what makes anything believable and certain in our minds.  The fact that there is a fact itself is ironic.  Something analogous to the idea that you can never predict the future because there is no future. Many books and movies have tried to play on this concept - best that I recollect (I think I am) was 'The Truman Show'.  This book by Klosterman attempts to provoke the reader to at least contemplate that what they think they know may be wrong. He uses examples like concept of gravity, and how it ...
2 comments
Read more

You are important to us

Followed by piano music.   Followed by 'we are experiencing heavier than usual call volume'.  Sounds macabre like bleeding during menstruation or after a ghastly attack with a weapon on a hemophiliac.  Sorry Mrs. Johnson but it appears little Gertrude here has been bleeding heavier than usual what with her night time activities competing with the woodchucks in your neighborhood. Some services even go as far as to pick a random day to say - 'if you were to call us during the Chinese lunar month when the moon is axiomatically hugging the polar star with Jupiter intravenous when call volume is light'.  Well I will be damned.  I thought  I had checked with my astrologer before I placed this well focused call but  I guess this is what you get for listening to a quack. Umph! I am not sure which marketing genius came up with this personal touch concept of informing the caller that you are really a jackass for actually calling the customer serv...
Post a Comment
Read more

Of Jims and Johns

Here is another essay on the subject of first names. As in birth names. Or names provided to an offspring at birth. While the developed world tends to shy away from the exotic like Refrigerator or Coca Cola for their new production there is a plethora of Jims and Johns and Bobs or Robs. Speaking of which I do not think there is a categoric decision point at the time of birth if a child will be hereafter called as Bob. I mean have not yet met a toddler called Bob or Rob for that matter. At some point though the parental instinct to mouth out multiple syllables runs out and they switch from calling the crawler Robert to simply Robbie to Rob. Now speaking of - it is strange that the name sounds like something you would not want Rob to do - i.e. Rob anyone. Then why call someone that? After all Rob Peter to Pay Paul is not exactly a maxim to live a young life? Is it? Perhaps Peter or Paul might want to have a say in it? Then there is this matter of going to the John. Why degrad...
2 comments
Read more