[Ads-l] A bacronym named Steve

[Ben Zimmer]

On Wed, Mar 21, 2018 at 5:27 PM, Mark Mandel <mark.a.mandel at gmail.com>
wrote:

> On Wed, Mar 21, 2018 at 11:45 AM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Two proto-backronyms (as given in Dave Wilton's _Word Myths_ and
> elsewhere)
> > are:
> >
> > ICHTHYS = Iesous CHristos, THeou Yios, Soter
> > CABAL = Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley-Cooper, Lauderdale (high
> > councillors of Charles II)
> >
>
> ICHTHYS, quite possibly; the fish symbol was popular in many religions
> before and during the birth of Christianity.
> However, CABAL is a classic case of folk etymology, outside of the specific
> context of use in Charles II's time to refer to these five councillors.
>
> *cabal*: French *cabale*, from Medieval Latin *cabala*. See KABBALAH.
> *kabbalah*: Medieval Ltin *cabala*, from Hebrew *qabbālāh*, received
> doctrine, tradition, from *qibbēl*, to receive. See *qbl* in Appendix II.
> (*American Heritage Dictionary*, 4th edn.)


Yes, I know. So when "cabal" was used to refer to the five councillors, the
word was applied backronymically. What's the issue here?


--bgz

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