The backronym discussion reminded me of a time when I worked with some collaborating school systems, and we were developing some sort of work place skills training program — and some in the group came up with the acronym PFAST. I can’t remember what it stood for, but I told them “we can’t call this program Pee-fast.” “Oh, no,” they said, “the P is silent.” I still advised against it (with others) — and if memory serves me correctly, we won out.
By coincidence, I just ran across this in Lee Child's preface to a reprint of his first "Reacher" novel.
=================
At first he wasn’t called Jack Reacher. In fact, he wasn’t called anything at all. The part of writing that I find most difficult is coming up with character names. My books are heavily populated with stationery brands and other authors, because when I need to name someone I tend to look around my office helplessly until my eye alights on the front of a notebook or the spine of a book on my shelves. Once or twice I stared out my window until a neighbor walked past, or thought back to the name badge of the last clerk I saw in a store . . . all kinds of people get their names in my books, most of them unwittingly. But obviously the main character’s name is very important to get right. With luck it will appear in many books, and even be talked about in other contexts. I started writing with no clear idea of the name. The first book was written in the first person, which meant he didn’t need a name until someone else asked what it was, which didn’t happen for thirty or so manuscript pages. Then a police detective asked, “Name?” I put my pencil down and thought. The best I could come up with was Franklin, as I recall. But I wasn’t happy with it.
Then I went shopping. Part of the problem with not currently having a day job was, well, I didn’t have a day job, and my wife therefore assumed that after many years of solo struggle she now had help with chores. So she asked me to go to the supermarket with her, to carry stuff home. I’m a big guy; she’s a small woman. She was also a worried woman, although she was hiding it well. Our life savings were disappearing, and regular paychecks were merely distant memories. In the supermarket—and this is a common experience for tall men—a little old lady approached me and said, “You’re a nice tall gentleman, so would you reach that can for me?” My wife said to me, “If this writing thing doesn’t work out, you can always be a reacher in a supermarket.” I thought, great name!
[...]
His first name came from conclusion number two: Don’t do what the others are doing. At the time there was a miniature rash of characters with cute or complex first names. So I looked for the simplest and plainest name I could find. I chose Jack, and not as a diminutive for John, either. It’s just Jack. (One of my grandfathers was called Harry, which most people assumed was a diminutive for Henry, but it wasn’t. Harry was on his birth certificate.) In my third book, Tripwire, there’s a passage that starts: “Reacher had been named Jack by his father, who was a plain New Hampshire Yankee with an implacable horror of anything fancy.” I wanted to underpin Reacher’s blunt and straightforward manner with a blunt and straightforward name. I didn’t think the character would have worked with, say, MacNaughten Lawrence for a name. Still don’t. Even though the first name could have been abbreviated to “Mac” on nearly all occasions, the hidden truth on his official papers would have implied something that I didn’t want implied.
Regarding the naming of characters, which is great fun: Mark Greaney's vollyball roster is a great idea. I had to come up with a bunch of Parsi bad guys (first names only), and I just went online and asked for a list of the most popular Parsi boys' names in the year that would put them at approximately the right age. The internet is astounding.
I do not remember planning this, but in the second of my two novels (mostly the same cast), the hero's name is Nicholas (Nick), and somehow I decided the villain's name was Miklos. It's the same name, but I only realized that afterward.
And there's a St. Bernard puppy named Momo, because I needed a dog and I had recently chanced to be playing in a small-town Ontario park with a St. Bernard puppy named Momo. It seems like a perfect name for a dog that is eventually going to weigh nearly 200 pounds.
I've been a fan of Tom Lehrer since I was a kid—and I'm old. The songs that got to me included, The Irish Ballad, I Hold Your Hand In Mine, Lobachevsky, The Old Dope Peddler. Later, Dixie, and Werner von Braun. They're all funny, and relevant today. And speaking of Gilbert & Sullivan, he's one of the best rhymers, ever.
Thanks also for the link to the wonderful Molly Ivins tribute. I still miss her.
A couple other fun minor league names: Lansing (MI) Lugnuts--fitting for a city that is (or was--I haven't kept up) home to a GM factory. Montgomery (AL) Biscuits, named for one of the most Southern of foods, the humble biscuit, which becomes less so when smothered with sausage gravy. Finally, the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Madison AL, near Huntsville). (Trash Pandas, for any who may not know, are raccoons.)
Wow. He IS a real genius, stuffed with all kinds of talent. It’s a shame he retreated from all but teaching math “for tenors” but lucky for us that he released all his music into the public domain.
The backronym discussion reminded me of a time when I worked with some collaborating school systems, and we were developing some sort of work place skills training program — and some in the group came up with the acronym PFAST. I can’t remember what it stood for, but I told them “we can’t call this program Pee-fast.” “Oh, no,” they said, “the P is silent.” I still advised against it (with others) — and if memory serves me correctly, we won out.
By coincidence, I just ran across this in Lee Child's preface to a reprint of his first "Reacher" novel.
=================
At first he wasn’t called Jack Reacher. In fact, he wasn’t called anything at all. The part of writing that I find most difficult is coming up with character names. My books are heavily populated with stationery brands and other authors, because when I need to name someone I tend to look around my office helplessly until my eye alights on the front of a notebook or the spine of a book on my shelves. Once or twice I stared out my window until a neighbor walked past, or thought back to the name badge of the last clerk I saw in a store . . . all kinds of people get their names in my books, most of them unwittingly. But obviously the main character’s name is very important to get right. With luck it will appear in many books, and even be talked about in other contexts. I started writing with no clear idea of the name. The first book was written in the first person, which meant he didn’t need a name until someone else asked what it was, which didn’t happen for thirty or so manuscript pages. Then a police detective asked, “Name?” I put my pencil down and thought. The best I could come up with was Franklin, as I recall. But I wasn’t happy with it.
Then I went shopping. Part of the problem with not currently having a day job was, well, I didn’t have a day job, and my wife therefore assumed that after many years of solo struggle she now had help with chores. So she asked me to go to the supermarket with her, to carry stuff home. I’m a big guy; she’s a small woman. She was also a worried woman, although she was hiding it well. Our life savings were disappearing, and regular paychecks were merely distant memories. In the supermarket—and this is a common experience for tall men—a little old lady approached me and said, “You’re a nice tall gentleman, so would you reach that can for me?” My wife said to me, “If this writing thing doesn’t work out, you can always be a reacher in a supermarket.” I thought, great name!
[...]
His first name came from conclusion number two: Don’t do what the others are doing. At the time there was a miniature rash of characters with cute or complex first names. So I looked for the simplest and plainest name I could find. I chose Jack, and not as a diminutive for John, either. It’s just Jack. (One of my grandfathers was called Harry, which most people assumed was a diminutive for Henry, but it wasn’t. Harry was on his birth certificate.) In my third book, Tripwire, there’s a passage that starts: “Reacher had been named Jack by his father, who was a plain New Hampshire Yankee with an implacable horror of anything fancy.” I wanted to underpin Reacher’s blunt and straightforward manner with a blunt and straightforward name. I didn’t think the character would have worked with, say, MacNaughten Lawrence for a name. Still don’t. Even though the first name could have been abbreviated to “Mac” on nearly all occasions, the hidden truth on his official papers would have implied something that I didn’t want implied.
Child, Lee. Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, Book 1) (p. 8). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
This is great — thanks! According to Data™, "Jack" is the second-most-popular name for fictional action heroes. https://slate.com/culture/2023/03/john-wick-james-bond-action-heroes-j-names.html
Oh yeah! There's a minor-league baseball team up in Sonoma (or there was recently), called the "Stompers." You know ... grapes.
Regarding the naming of characters, which is great fun: Mark Greaney's vollyball roster is a great idea. I had to come up with a bunch of Parsi bad guys (first names only), and I just went online and asked for a list of the most popular Parsi boys' names in the year that would put them at approximately the right age. The internet is astounding.
I do not remember planning this, but in the second of my two novels (mostly the same cast), the hero's name is Nicholas (Nick), and somehow I decided the villain's name was Miklos. It's the same name, but I only realized that afterward.
And there's a St. Bernard puppy named Momo, because I needed a dog and I had recently chanced to be playing in a small-town Ontario park with a St. Bernard puppy named Momo. It seems like a perfect name for a dog that is eventually going to weigh nearly 200 pounds.
I've been a fan of Tom Lehrer since I was a kid—and I'm old. The songs that got to me included, The Irish Ballad, I Hold Your Hand In Mine, Lobachevsky, The Old Dope Peddler. Later, Dixie, and Werner von Braun. They're all funny, and relevant today. And speaking of Gilbert & Sullivan, he's one of the best rhymers, ever.
Thanks also for the link to the wonderful Molly Ivins tribute. I still miss her.
In addition to being a brilliant singer-songwriter, Tom Lehrer is a mensch. In 2022 he released all of his work to the public domain.
https://tomlehrersongs.com/disclaimer/
So fun! And "Spinning Nancy" made me snort-laugh out loud.
The "spinning nancy" is a thousand times better than the "lazy susan" so I think I am going to adopt that one right away.
😄
A couple other fun minor league names: Lansing (MI) Lugnuts--fitting for a city that is (or was--I haven't kept up) home to a GM factory. Montgomery (AL) Biscuits, named for one of the most Southern of foods, the humble biscuit, which becomes less so when smothered with sausage gravy. Finally, the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Madison AL, near Huntsville). (Trash Pandas, for any who may not know, are raccoons.)
Nice! I've written about those Trash Pandas: https://nancyfriedman.typepad.com/away_with_words/2021/08/mascots-in-the-news.html
Did you already write about the proposed ELON MUSK Act?
https://pocan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pocan-introduce-elon-musk-act-ban-federal-government-contracts-special
I did not, and I should have!
Fab piece. Tom Lehrer is new to me; he’s the only genius here (besides Penny Lane). Backronyms always amuse me as mostly tortured creatures.
There is so much to discover and enjoy in Tom Lehrer's life and work. https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/may/22/my-songs-spread-like-herpes-why-did-satirical-genius-tom-lehrer-swap-worldwide-fame-for-obscurity
Wow. He IS a real genius, stuffed with all kinds of talent. It’s a shame he retreated from all but teaching math “for tenors” but lucky for us that he released all his music into the public domain.
For others, it’s down the most fascinating Tom Lehrer rabbit hole here at Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Lehrer