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What does your membername or nickname mean? How did you come to your name on CF?

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But where did Eliot get him from?

Interesting question.

He wrote an earlier version of that passage about Phlebas in a French poem, Dans le restaurant',
during WW I, re-worked it in 'The Waste Land' (not 'The Wasteland' ;) ).

That's me corrected :)
Thanks, I didn't know about the earlier French poem.

I suspect Eliot made up the name. I'm no linguist, but I don't believe the "phl" or "fl" sound occurs in any Semitic language.

Another suggestion is that Eliot was referring to the Greek phleps , genitive phlebos which means "vein".
http://europrogovision.blogspot.com/2008/05/considering-phlebas.html

Also interesting.
Should I be worried about this bit?

In what, in other words, is Phlebas drowned? Seawater, we think; although mightn't it be possible that he has slipped into another form of salty water, into the whirlpool of his own bloodflow?.

Unfortunately we can no longer ask Eliot.
From obscure beginnings, the name has gone on to capture the interest of many people. I've used it for 20 years and will happily use it for another 20, assuming the moralists and wowsers haven't hunted us all down by then.

For Eul - Wowser is an Australian term:

The term originated in Australia, at first carrying a similar meaning to "lout" (an annoying or disruptive person, or even a prostitute). Around 1900 it shifted to its present meaning: one whose sense of morality drives them to deprive others of their sinful pleasures

The Australian writer C. J. Dennis defined it thus: 'Wowser: an ineffably pious person who mistakes this world for a penitentiary and himself for a warder'


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wowser
 
Interesting question.



That's me corrected :)
Thanks, I didn't know about the earlier French poem.



Also interesting.
Should I be worried about this bit?

In what, in other words, is Phlebas drowned? Seawater, we think; although mightn't it be possible that he has slipped into another form of salty water, into the whirlpool of his own bloodflow?.

Unfortunately we can no longer ask Eliot.
From obscure beginnings, the name has gone on to capture the interest of many people. I've used it for 20 years and will happily use it for another 20, assuming the moralists and wowsers haven't hunted us all down by then.

For Eul - Wowser is an Australian term:

The term originated in Australia, at first carrying a similar meaning to "lout" (an annoying or disruptive person, or even a prostitute). Around 1900 it shifted to its present meaning: one whose sense of morality drives them to deprive others of their sinful pleasures

The Australian writer C. J. Dennis defined it thus: 'Wowser: an ineffably pious person who mistakes this world for a penitentiary and himself for a warder'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wowser
Wowsers was used frequently as a general exclamation of astonishment on the American children's cartoon show Inspector Gadget 1983-86
 
For Eul - Wowser is an Australian term:

The term originated in Australia, at first carrying a similar meaning to "lout" (an annoying or disruptive person, or even a prostitute). Around 1900 it shifted to its present meaning: one whose sense of morality drives them to deprive others of their sinful pleasures

The Australian writer C. J. Dennis defined it thus: 'Wowser: an ineffably pious person who mistakes this world for a penitentiary and himself for a warder'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wowser

Many thanks for enriching my vocabulary, Phlebas. My knowledge of Australian terms is limited to the lyrics of "Waltzing Matilda" and "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport." ;)
 
Wowser: an ineffably pious person who mistakes this world for a penitentiary and himself for a warder'
A brilliant word, how has most of the English-speaking world managed without it? :D
 
The Merriam-Webster website has this note:
Wowser is a delightful word with an interesting background, though its ultimate origin is unknown. The word first appeared in print in 1899, in the Australian journal Truth, and was instantly popular in Australia. It spread to New Zealand, where it remains in use, and then eventually arrived in England, possibly brought by the Australian troops who served there during World War I. The American writer and editor H. L. Mencken liked "wowser" and attempted to introduce it in the United States. He used the word frequently in American Mercury, the literary magazine he edited. Despite Mencken's efforts the term never truly caught on in American English, though it is used occasionally.
 
Is the exclamation "Wow!" a derivation of Wowser?:)
'Wow!' according to the OED is Scots in origin - which I didn't know - and was still regarded as 'chiefly Scots' when V - Z was published (1928).
The earliest citations for 'wow' are two both from 1513, in Gavin Douglas's splendid Eneados, and the lively anon. 'Peblis to the Play'.
It might have been a contraction of 'I vow!' as an exclamation.
There's no evidence either way as to any connection with 'wowser' (or 'wowzer') -
I wonder if it was in the context 'wowsers versus boozers', the early 20th century citations mostly refer to militant teetotallers.
 
wow, such a deep culture here! There is really a lot to learn with! :)

About my nick, I do not remember any particular reason why I choose it. I just liked the sound. Seems so silly to say it here... :) In case you were wondering, Sivilla does not come (at least I was not thinking to it) from the Spanish city Sevilla... :)
 
Sivilla does not come (at least I was not thinking to it) from the Spanish city Sevilla...
I think Sivilla may be a modern Greek form of Σίβυλλα Sibylla, the prophetess.
 
I think Sivilla may be a modern Greek form of Σίβυλλα Sibylla, the prophetess.

Hi Eulalia, I checked on a dictionary of Italian family names and you are right, of course. In addition to the origin derived from the Spanish citym they also report another possible origin, associated to Sebille or Sibilie, the name of Charlemagne, widespread by the French epich. Fascinating...
 
We need an emoji for this phrase to save frequent excess typing.
indignor quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus -
and eul frequently falls flat on her face in the shit! :icon_pc:

Hi Eulalia, I checked on a dictionary of Italian family names and you are right, of course. In addition to the origin derived from the Spanish citym they also report another possible origin, associated to Sebille or Sibilie, the name of Charlemagne, widespread by the French epich. Fascinating...
is that Dictionary of Italian Family Names online?
It's the kind of thing I love browsing.
 
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