[Ads-l] A bacronym named Steve

[Mark Mandel]

Umm... probably that I wasn't thinking clearly. Sorry!

Mark


On Wed, Mar 21, 2018 at 5:44 PM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
>
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org