Why ‘Fort Liberty’? Leaders explain why they pushed for Fort Bragg’s proposed new name
Jay Price of North Carolina Public Radio contacted me recently to ask for my opinion on the renaming of army bases. Here’s what I had to say. When a federal …
The strange case of Strange Fruit
This post originally appeared at the Duets Blog. Of all the marketing people in the biz, you’d think a PR firm would have the best instincts for names that appeal, …
Sugarpova: Does it taste as weird as it sounds?
This post originally appeared at the Duets Blog. Wimbledon is winding down and fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova has been eliminated from the competition, dashing her hopes for a combined 10th anniversary …
Don’t use this acronym: Laurel Sutton has a place in the OED
This post originally appeared at Catch This. On my desk sits the Compact version of the Oxford English Dictionary, one of the most amazing publications ever put together by humans. …
Coca Cola, Chek Cola, or Rally Cola?: Laurel Sutton’s store brand naming article
This post originally appeared at Catch This. I was delighted that I was asked to contribute a paper to the volume entitled “Onomastics in Contemporary Public Space“. It gave me …
Coined Names: Some Old Favorites
This post originally appeared at Catch This. Midol. Lysol. Maybelline. Kodak. Listerine. Oreo. What do these brand names have in common? Believe it or not, all of them have been around …
Have Cowl, Will Travel Around the World: Batman Incorporated (Part 2)
This post originally appeared in Fast Company. In my last blog, I looked at how Batman is known globally in comics. With plans in the current DC storyline to have …
Dagnabbit is not an adjective: Progressive fails on language use
This post originally appeared at Catch This. Today’s lesson is about language use, and more specifically, how to use a swear word correctly. I am usually a fan of Progressive’s …
Damp Squids or Swell Foops?: Top 10 Misquoted Phrases in Britain
This post originally appeared at Catch This. Until I saw this episode of the IT Crowd, I don’t think I’d ever heard the expression damp squid: As the judge helpfully …
What Comes After Biggest?: The Naming of Sizes
Increases in storage technology are necessitating names for the ever-expanding amount of space available in computers. In the old days (pre-1990), a hard drive that could hold 40 MB (megabytes; …