Good morning all you nomenophiles and Latin pedants eager to correct non-words on your screen! Join us for yet another roundup of “news” filled to the brim with awesome names, cool monikers and the very strangest of aliases.
We begin with perhaps the fluffiest, most insignificant news article I’ve seen this year (and I saw this one). But I’ll forgive WhoTV.com because it takes place in Goochland, Virginia. Gotta love a place called Goochland. According to some strange locals, the shape of a moonwalking Michael Jackson was spotted in a cloud during a lightning storm over the town. Word of warning, the page has a video of the event that is actually just a still image sitting there for 30 seconds while you wait for the moonwalk and eventually get really annoyed at the lack of Michael Jackson action and leave the page. So you’re welcome.
Thanks to our skywatcher Dave for spotting that one.
We can all thank Bill Gooch for this one.
Dave has also been keeping an eye on boxing events. I know, out of character! He brings us the news that Palangpol CP Freshmart defeated Samuel Tehuayo via 9th round TKO last Friday. If his boxing career ever fizzles he can always open a chain of greengrocers with a name like that.
Palangpol’s Greens.
And so we move on to a more kinetic and exciting sport, golf. Take it away, Mark :
In the usually funny name challenged sport of Golf, the Open Championship is underway at the birthplace of golf–The Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland. And this year the there is a veritable plethora of tongue twisters. Back for another shot after their good showings at the U.S. Open are Joost Luiten and Ollie Schniederjans. They are joined on the links by the likes of Jaco Van Zyh, Thongdee Jaidee, Koumei Oda, Jonas Blixt, and my personal favorite, the irrepressible Kiradech Aphibarnrat. (OK, I don’t know if Aprhibarnrat really is irrepressible, but his name surely is) .
Thanks Mark! These days names like that seem to be just par for the course.
Sorry.
Jaco Van Zyl holding a fuzzy tiger. Actually, it sort of looks like the Welsh Tiger, Tom Jones! He must have won the Tom Jones Open.
Next, basketball’s own Jason “White Chocolate” Williams has a son named Jaxon Williams, and he too can play some ball. Check out his mad skillz!
In sadder news, “scruffy-faced” inventor Burt Shavitz has passed away at the age of 80 in Bangor, Maine. See our loving profile of Burt from a few months back to learn more about his life, and check out the movie on Netflix. It’s pretty fun!
That’s all we have this week! Check back in next time, when we hopefully have a report of Elvis Presley’s hips having been spotted in a pot of jam in Oniontown, NY. Toodles!
The Blog of Funny Names 
I’m so sad we lost Bert, but his bees live on.
I thought something was wrong with my monitor when I first looked at the award picture with the fuzzy “Tom Jones”!
Love the FNiTN this week.
Fuzzy Tom Jones appearing should tell you everything about your monitor is *right*!
The bees live on, as does Burt. Thanks Fannie!
I love the spelling of Jaxon so much!! I completely forgot about that article until you posted it here. I wonder if Jaxon can get the name “Kid Chocolate”, which is the name of two famous boxers… one of yesteryear and one contemporary!
Did you call him “scruffy faced” because his last name is Shavitz?
You’re a Latin pedant – not me!! Never insult your audience (or is “Latin pedant” a compliment?) unless you’re Mick Jagger, and even then only rarely!
Where are the non-words? Am I missing them? How am I missing them?
It’s the one directly preceding the latin pedant callout! Clearly you’re no latin pedant!
😦 I’m a Latin pedant, just not a very good one! Or maybe I’m just not that smart in general…. maybe that’s it!!
The actual video footage of the MJ celestial event looks pretty impressive.
So impressive that I think someone created it with desktop CG.
That’s more like it. Silly news websites not playing the real thing.
I think nomeophiles is not non-Latin but non-Greek.
But it’s all non-Greek to me.
I knew it. It’s such poor latin, it’s not even latin.
just wondering if ‘p.c.p.’ was conceived at the fresh mart? is that his place of origin?
Possible. PCP Freshmart sounds pretty fresh for sure.
I fear, like the WWII generation, the name “Burt” is about to go extinct. No one is naming his kids Burt anymore. Now Jaxon, we’ve gone one of those at church. And yesterday, at a play there were four Jones kids (none of which were Tom, but two of which were Braedan and Jaden). Joost Luiten must be related to has-been singer Juice Newton. Come on! I also like it when first and last names rhyme with themselves. It’s like you’re a walking poem: Thongdee Jaidee. Nice!
Speaking of walking poems
Kerby’s comments become
deep and profound poems
when you add line breaks
in the right places
Witness:
Gosh, I sound so folksy and pensive! A regular bitter Andy Rooney diatribe.
That works beautifully! What an observation.
I too am concerned with the lack of young Burts. Also Williams never go by the more entertaining Bill, nor are young Richards Dicks, which is upsetting.
Joost and Juice should record a duet together. Angel of the Fairway or something.
Ideas like that are why I’m not a music producer.
That’s a swell idea!