"Proper names that have become improper and uncommonly common" is how Willard R. Espy described eponyms, and that is the theme for this week's words in AWAD: words coined after someone's name.
In our quest for eponyms, we are going to visit ancient Greece and Rome, 17th and 19th century Paris, and even go back to biblical times. Over the years we have featured hundreds of eponyms, but this week, as in any week, we'll review only five. If you want to have your fill of eponyms check out this eponym-infested story: http://newstatesman.com/200603200056 svengali (sven-GAH-lee) noun A person who manipulates and exercises excessive control over another for sinister purposes. [After Svengali, a musician and hypnotist, in the novel Trilby written by George du Maurier (1834-1896). In the story, Trilby is an artist's model. She's tone-deaf, but Svengali transforms her into a singing sensation under his hypnotic spell. Another eponym to come out of the novel is the word for a man's hat: trilby. A trilby was a soft felt hat with a narrow brim and an indented crown. The word arose because such a hat was won in the stage production of the novel.] Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=svengali -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "'Idol' was created by Simon Fuller, the Spice Girls svengali, and first aired in England in 2001, as 'Pop Idol.'" Sasha Frere-Jones; Idolatry; The New Yorker; May 19, 2008. This newsletter is made possible in part by these sponsors: The University of Scranton is NCATE-accredited, 100% online and ready to help you earn your Master's in Education. Visit http://UScranton.com/WS Free! Extra issue of any of Champs-Elysees Audio Magazines in French, German, Italian and Spanish. Subscribe at: http://web.champs-elysees.com/wsmith7 ............................................................................ Speech is for the convenience of those who are hard of hearing. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862) Share the magic of words. Send a gift sub: http://wordsmith.org/awad/gift.html Remove, change, or subscribe address: http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber.html Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/svengali.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/svengali.ram Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/svengali.html This message was sent to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]".
