Ron Drew's Music Page - Activities
Singing - South Shields Amateur Operatic Society
Chapter 5.6 - Snippets of Chorus Lines
From Issue No. 6 - (August 1997)
What's in a name?
My word processor has a strange sense of humour. On spell-check it accepts certain names quite happily, but interprets others with an almost 'tongue in cheek' satisfaction - often reaching almost psychic levels.
It espescially enjoys its own versions of some of out executive committee names. Our illustrious President [Sandford Goudie], for example, becomes Sang-froid Gouda . For those who do not have a dictionary handy, sang-froid means 'composure or coolness in danger' and gouda as we all know is a 'big cheese' - prophetic or what??
It interprets our Ass. Secretary's name [Pat Meeks] as Mecca. Whether this is in a religious context or refers to the bowling alley, perhaps only Pat or Ted can say!
Now we have a Junior Convenor [Sylvia Coverdale] called Sylvia Coverall, which just about sums up the job, and Howard Ashman pales to Ashen - SSAOS does that to you!
As Val Dawson is a new member of the executive committee the PC decided on a special interpretation. Not only did it change her sex, it also decided she was a fruity little number - would you believe Al Damson?
At the bottom of the alphabetical list it pondered a long time over Mary Whincop, before coming up with the rather disappointing Winch. A visit to the dictionary shows that its deliberations were, in fact, inspired - winch is associated with a 'bit of a crank' - well, who else would be wardrobe mistress for the "FOLLIES"
Finally, my PC is a sensitive creature which does not respond to misuse, so when it started to make strange noises on reaching [Peter] Skevington, I reached for the cancel button - it's only human after all !!
Ian
[For educational purposes an addendum was added by the editor]
For those of you interested in names and eponyms, how about
Sweet Fanny Adams
The expression comes from the name of a girl who was found murdered in Alton, Hampshire in 1812.Her body was found in the River Wey, cut into pieces.
It is said that a sailor found a button in a tin of mutton and with gruesome humour called the tin's contents Fanny Adams. From this slang usage the meaning of the word developed to refer to something of no value and then the current meaning of "nothing at all". It is often shortened to sweet f.a.!!
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Last revised: October 14, 2002.