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Post by Verbivore on May 26, 2008 22:12:08 GMT
[...] a road traffic accident (RTA) [...] Dr Mildr: Thanks for that - it provided my morning chuckle. ;D In my state (NSW) the government department responsible (officially - but reality suggests a lack of it) for our generally low-level goat tracks, and car and driver licensing, is the Roads and Traffic Authority - RTA. Its abysmal (mis)management of our roads system makes your meaning of RTA so apt here! In Oz, unfortunate motoring events are labelled MTA (motor ...); however, as a one-time Defensive Driving instructor I find the accident bit difficult to accept: one of the tenets of Defensive Driving is "There are no accidents - only inevitabilities". (I have spent years trying to get news media to refer to such events as incidents or by other more neutral terms, but there seems to be a conspiracy to persist with accident; I suppose using that term absolves all parties of (moral) responsibility.) I shall have to share the "new" meaning of RTA with my acquaintances who work there.
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Post by Pete on May 27, 2008 1:07:01 GMT
An Aptronym is a name aptly suited to its owner. TfS I've just got round to looking at this site. I think that Learned Hand is a fantastic name for a judge. He handed down a major decision on US tax law in the 1930s ( Helvering and Gregory, if anyone cares), which has had a huge influence on UK tax jurisprudence over the last 30 years. One of those cases was called Floor v Davies and Floor, to my delight when I read the case, was a Major in the army. ;D Oh, life throws up these little delights from time to time.
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Post by Paul Doherty on May 27, 2008 1:41:44 GMT
We do, of course, have a Judge Judge: Sir Igor Judge, President of the Queen's Bench Division and the most senior criminal judge in England and Wales.
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Post by Dave on May 27, 2008 4:37:15 GMT
When I was in the army, we babysat for Major Hassel (or was it Hassle?). He told us about Major Minor who had served there before us; I guess their children will always be minors!
I receive checks from one of our customers signed by William N. Payer (Bill Payer).
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Post by Verbivore on May 27, 2008 11:39:30 GMT
[...] William N. Payer (Bill Payer). Related to William Posters, by any chance?
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Post by Dave M on May 27, 2008 13:21:37 GMT
Our local methodist minister was the Reverend Mr Heaven. His daughter (honestly!) was called Helen.
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Post by Gabriel-Ernest on May 27, 2008 13:30:47 GMT
Some years ago I had the acquaintance of a Justice of the Peace whose surname was Crook.
As for Helen; if my surname were Back that is exactly what I would call my daughter.
G-E.
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Post by Pete on May 27, 2008 13:45:03 GMT
I knew an accountancy firm in Birmingham that called itself something like Raman, Jones & Co. When asked, Mr Jones admitted that there had never been a Mr Raman, the name had merely been a marketing ploy. Clever, huh?
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Post by Pete on May 27, 2008 13:47:22 GMT
As for Helen; if my surname were Back that is exactly what I would call my daughter. G-E. If we're going there, I was keen for my friend Neill Case to call his son Justin.
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Post by Dave M on May 27, 2008 13:48:06 GMT
I just checked, and was pleased to find that a certain Solicitors firm still exists in Coventry: Wright Hassall.
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Post by Alan Palmer on May 27, 2008 13:57:20 GMT
... In Oz, unfortunate motoring events are labelled MTA (motor ...); however, as a one-time Defensive Driving instructor I find the accident bit difficult to accept: one of the tenets of Defensive Driving is "There are no accidents - only inevitabilities". (I have spent years trying to get news media to refer to such events as incidents or by other more neutral terms, but there seems to be a conspiracy to persist with accident; I suppose using that term absolves all parties of (moral) responsibility.) I can't remember the source, but I saw somewhere that car insurance companies dislike the use of the word accident, too. Apparently only about 5%* of claims turn out to be nobody's fault and so can be properly called the result of an accident. * I can't remember the exact figure given, but it was similar.
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Post by Sue M-V on May 27, 2008 15:27:51 GMT
Major Minor - sounds like a refugee from Catch 22!
Sue
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Post by Barry on May 27, 2008 16:48:00 GMT
I once sang at the consecration of a Roman Catholic priest whose name was Christopher Moss. After it was all over, he was, of course:
Father Chris Moss.
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Post by Dr Mildr on May 27, 2008 17:19:25 GMT
If we're going there, I was keen for my friend Neill Case to call his son Justin. And I wanted to call a daughter Holly, but we don't do females so I missed out.
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Post by David on May 27, 2008 18:44:43 GMT
I remember at one time owning The Observer's Book of Music by Freda Dinn, with illustrations by Paul Sharp - now lost, unfortunately.
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