Everyday Common Words and their History

© 2012 by Theocharis Vagelis

Today I am introducing a new “line” of articles that will be part of a Group called “Encyclopedia of Useless Knowledge”. These articles will contain information and knowledge that may be considered useless by some people, but then again… very useful by others.

I commence this Group with: “Everyday Common Words and their History”

Ampere or Amp (unit symbol A), is the Standard International unit of electric current. It takes its name from Andre-Marie Ampere (1775 – 1836), French Mathematician and Physicist.

Byron shirt, also known as poet shirt or pirate shirt, is a loose-fitting shirt, decorated with large frills. It took its name from romantic poet Lord George Gordon Byron (1788 – 1824). It must be mentioned that he died from fever in Messolongi, while helping the Greek revolution against the Turkish (Ottoman) rule.

Becquerel (symbol BQ), is the SI unit of radioactivity. It is named after Nobel Prize winner, Henri Becquerel.

Bechamel sauce, is a white sauce used in many Italian and French dishes. It is named after Louis de Bechameil, Marquis de Nointel (1630 – 1703), financier and chief steward to Louis XIV.

Braille System, is a method of reading and writing used by blind people. It was invented / devised by Louis Braille (1809 – 1852), who was blind himself due to an accident.

Brillat-Savarin cheese and Savarin mould, are named after Jean Anthelme Brillat Savarin (1755 – 1826), French lawyer and politician who gained tremendous fame as gastronome.

Casanova, means “soldier of fortune”; “adventurer” and “someone with a very active love life”. Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Singalt (1725 – 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author.

Chateaubriand, a French dish made from a cut of a tenderloin, is named after Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand (1768 – 1848), French writer, poet, politician and diplomat.

Croseus, means “wealthy”. Croesus (595 – 547 BC was the extremely wealthy king of Lydia. He was so famous during his period, that when he got defeated by the Persians in 547, the impact was such, providing a fixed point in the calendar of the Greeks.

Diesel engine, is named after Rudolf Diesel (1858 – 1913) who developed this internal combustion engine.

Ephialtes, is a serious illness, an anxiety disorder. It is a Greek word and is named after “Ephialtes of Trachis”, the Greek who betrayed his country by showing the Persians a path around the forces of Pericles at the pass of Thermopylae (480 BC).

Gallup Poll, is a statistical method of survey sampling for measuring public opinion. It is widely used during elections. It was invented by and named after George Horacce Gallup (1901 – 1984).

Judas, in most Christian countries is translated as “traitor”. The word derives of course from Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, best known for his betrayal. Again, rockers use the word every day, either while singing Malmsteen’s “Judas”, or while listening to “Judas Priest”.

Kalashnikov, is an automatic rifle gun (also known as AK-47), designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov (1919 – Present).

Methuselah, is commonly used for someone who reaches a great age. Methuselah, is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and was supposed to be the oldest man on earth. He supposedly died at the “tender” age of 969!

MacArthur sunglasses (Rayban Aviator), are named after General Douglas MacArthur (1880 – 1964), field marshal of the Philippine Army.

Montgomery coat, is a duffle coat that takes its name from Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1^st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887 – 1976). It must be noted that the word “duffle” (or “duffel”) derives from Duffel, a small city near Antwerp, Belgium.

Molotov cocktail bomb, was coined by the Finnish people during the Winter War as an insulting reference to Vyacheslav Molotov, a Russian politician and diplomat under Stalin, who was responsible for the partition of Finland. It is a fact though, that Molotov bombs were invented by the Russians and were widely used during WWII.

Nobel Prize, is named after Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833 – 1896), Swedish Chemist, Inventor and Engineer.

Quisling, is – in some countries and dictionaries – synonymous with “traitor” and “fascist”. Vidkun Quisling (1887 – 1945) was a Norwegian politician who seized power via a coup d’etat backed by the German Nazis.

Sandwich, this fast food delicacy, took its name from john Montagu-4^th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792), British statesman who invented the modern concept of the sandwich so that he could eat while playing cards.

Beef Stroganoff (Stroganov), is a beef dish with smetana cream. It is named after Alexander Grigorievich Stroganov, a Russian minister or Pavel Stroganov, a Russian diplomat.

Volt (symbol V), is the SI unit for electronic potential. It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745 – 1827), inventor of the first chemical battery.

Watt (unit symbol W), is another standard International unit, this time of Power (rate of energy conversion). It is named after the Scottish Engineer James Watt (1736 – 1819).

Zeppelin, is an airship invented by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20^th century. It was used by the German forces during WWI. We, “metal heads”, use the word everyday while listening to “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin.