"gomer" (was: Air Force Language (1962); Medical Slang (1994))

[Fred Shapiro]

On Thu, 26 Jul 2001, David M. Robertson wrote:

> I have heard that Groening named Homer Simpson after the main character in
> Nathanael West's "Day of the Locust" because he admired that book (as do I).

I did some research into the matter, and it appears that, although
Groening's father was named Homer, Homer Simpson's name does derive from
the Nathanael West character.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
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