The Toronto Star website has this puzzling summary of my article (next post) about canapés:
Canapés: a summer treat, a summer scourge
The eponymous finger food snack comes from the greek word for mosquito netting.
I hope the lack of a capital on "Greek" was just an oversight. But what on earth do they think "eponymous" means? "Boycott" is an eponymous word, originating in the name of a Mr. Boycott. If I were to release a CD of me singing (not a hot seller, I'm thinking!) called simply "Katherine", you could call that an eponymous CD. Or if I were to dance the lead role in the ballet Manon (that would be a dream come true for me, if not for the ballet audience, and certainly not for whatever unfortunate guy got to partner me), you could call me the eponymous heroine. But I can't see by any stretch how "eponymous" works in the context above.
About Me
- Katherine Barber
- Canada's Word Lady, Katherine Barber is an expert on the English language and a frequent guest on radio and television. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Her witty and informative talks on the stories behind our words are very popular. Contact her at wordlady.barber@gmail.com to book her for speaking engagements; she can tailor her talks to almost any subject. She is also available as an expert witness for lawsuits.
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