I’m interested in the etymology of words. A hack writer i.e. one for hire (Arthur Koestler, Samuel Beckett and Anton Chekhov have all in their time been hacks) is derived from horse hacks which were easy to ride and take their name from Hackney Marshes where they were bred. Hackney cabs were pulled by these horses.
The verb spam really is derived from the 1970 Monty Python sketch. An early deployment of spam was in the online squabbles between Star Trek and Star Wars fans
@hogweed Spam was introduced by Hormel on July 5, 1937. ... Hormel claims that the meaning of the name "is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives", but popular beliefs are that the name is an abbreviation of "spiced ham". Copied from google search.
I suggest you look away now, Hogweed, because here is more than anyone could ever conceivably want to know about Spam, or even SPAM because the foodstuff is always capitalised. The canned meat was developed by Hormel Foods in 1936. A mix of ham, pork, sugar, salt, water, potato starch and, the genius ingredient, sodium nitrite to stop the mush turning grey. The name for this ‘miracle meat’ was decided by a competition, the $100 prize awarded to Ken Daigneau who chose an amalgam of Shoulder Pork and hAM or SPiced hAM.
Never rationed in WW2, and the rectangular can, only ever sold in 12 oz tins, lent itself to efficient trans-Atlantic transportation. Children growing up after the war probably shuddered at the prospect and I expect it burned into the consciousness of the young Pythons, who no doubt vented a certain suppressed horror with the 1970 sketch. The computer sense of something unwanted and overused is taken from the menu in that sketch.
Let us give thanks we don’t live in Guam or the North Mariana Islands. They eat on average 16 cans per person per year.
Next, the history of salad cream. Anyone? No, didn’t think so.
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Frank.
The verb spam really is derived from the 1970 Monty Python sketch. An early deployment of spam was in the online squabbles between Star Trek and Star Wars fans
Spam was introduced by Hormel on July 5, 1937. ... Hormel claims that the meaning of the name "is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives", but popular beliefs are that the name is an abbreviation of "spiced ham".
Copied from google search.
Never rationed in WW2, and the rectangular can, only ever sold in 12 oz tins, lent itself to efficient trans-Atlantic transportation. Children growing up after the war probably shuddered at the prospect and I expect it burned into the consciousness of the young Pythons, who no doubt vented a certain suppressed horror with the 1970 sketch. The computer sense of something unwanted and overused is taken from the menu in that sketch.
Let us give thanks we don’t live in Guam or the North Mariana Islands. They eat on average 16 cans per person per year.
Next, the history of salad cream. Anyone? No, didn’t think so.