Two years ago, when someone “trumped” you, you were likely losing a hand of bridge. Today, if you’ve been “Trumped,” you’re the victim of a series of vitriolic attacks from a billionaire candidate for president.
An eponym is anything named after a person, place or company. Some eponyms are temporary: Donald Trump will return to oblivion someday, and the defi nition of his name will go back to its card-game roots. That’s what happened with eponyms like “to Gore” – to preach about climate change in the superior manner of a former vice president.
But some eponyms hang on. Here are a few of the more persistent:
Bork: Named for Judge Robert H. Bork, whom the U.S. Senate rejected in 1988 as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, “to Bork” means to attack a candidate or public figure with harsh political rhetoric in an organized fashion.
Nicotine: A compound in tobacco, nicotine was named for Jean Nicot, a Frenchman who first brought tobacco to his home country from Portugal in 1559. Once touted for its alleged medicinal value, nicotine has in recent decades become a stain on Nicot’s name.
Sadism and Masochism: These words – closely linked by sexual fetishists – are eponyms from different countries in different eras. Sadists, who derive pleasure from inflicting pain on others, are named for the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814), a French aristocrat famous for his erotic writings. Masochism, defined as “sexual pleasure in being hurt or abused,” was named for Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895), whose most famous novella explored a man’s submissive relationships with women in his life.
Sideburns: These are strips of facial hair that run along men’s jawlines in front of their ears (possibly related to Trump hair). Sideburns were named after U.S. Army Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside (1824-1881), who made up for the lack of hair above his forehead by growing hair that bushed a full three inches from his cheeks. No one is quite sure when the word’s two syllables were flipped.
Draconian: Athenian statesman Draco (who lived in the 7th century B.C.E.) is believed to have supported the death penalty for such offenses as stealing apples and urinating in public. Some people have wondered aloud whether Trump is being draconian in the way he would like to treat undocumented immigrants. Others say he’s sadistic. Still others would simply like Trump to get borked.
Neil Chethik, aka the Grammar Gourmet, is executive director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (www.carnegiecenterlex.org) and author of “FatherLoss” and “Voice- Male.” The Carnegie Center off ers writing classes and seminars for businesses and individuals. Contact Chethik at neil@carnegiecenterlex.org
or 859-254-4175.