In praise of -Initials.

Columnist

Wednesday 13 June 2012

ALL right, hands up who doesn't know there's a "D" in Roosevelt?

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by robert mcneil

Not one handie reaches for the sky. We all know Franklin D. Of the USA he was once P. As in President.

But it seems kinda silly to me that we all know his middle name began with D. It's none of our business, but the D is for Delano, which doesn't sound so Dutch as his surname.

But what do I know? I've no middle name. Was never blessed with one. Ours was a spartan family, and having a middle name was thought an extravagance for folk with ideas above their station.Initials aren't confined to middle names. The first name can also shove its oar in. In times past, authors, local dignitaries and whatnot, would often style themselves LD Blenkinsop and suchlike. Authors such as JR Hartley and PG Wodehouse became household names, even if one is fictional. Today, JK Rowling continues the somewhat antiquated tradition, and arguably it hasn't done her any harm. In the past, you had stores like FW Woolworth's. Today, they are more likely to have names like Aldi, short for Albrecht Discount, and Ikea, comprising the founder's name (Ingvar Kamprad), the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd), and his hometown Agunnaryd in yonder Sweden. What a loon. He even self-assembled the company's name.Councillors and suchlike dignitaries in the past often monikered themselves with initials. Initials confer a certain respectability. A name with initials cries out to have "esquire" written after it. Even Malcolm X, the black rights activist, probably had his letters from the gas board addressed to Malcolm X Esq. Another human rights activist, George W Bush, actually became known as Dubya after his middle name. However, America's most famous initial is probably the J between Homer and Simpson. What does it stand for? Jay.

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In praise of -Initials.

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