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Wordcraft Eponyms
578 entries	We are now the net's biggest collection of general eponyms!
GREEN: items added April 18, 2004
abigail	Abigail, a character in Beaumont & Fletcher's "The Scornful Lady" (mid-1600s)	a lady's maid
abishag	Abishag, young woman brought to King David, trying to "revive" him in old age. I Kings 1-2	a child of a woman by a man married to another [a very rare word, not in OED]
academy; academic	choose your source: Plato's "academy" was owned by Akademus, or was named for legendary Akadamos, who told where the abducted Helen of Troy been hidden.
Achilles' heel	Achilles, Gk hero in the Iliad	a seemingly small but actually crucial weakness
Adamite	Adam, in the Bible	going naked (like Adam) for God
adonis	Adonis, a strikingly beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite in Gk myth	a very handsome young man
alfonsin; alphonsin	Alfonse Ferri, a surgeon of Naples, who invented it (1552)	a surgical instrument for extracting bullets from wounds
algorism	al-Khwarizmi, Arab mathemetician died ~850	use of the Arabic number system (rather than, say, Roman numerals)
algorithm	al-Khwarizmi, Arab mathemetician died ~850. His name gave us "algorism" (see above), which led to "algorithm"
alice blue	Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884–1980), daughter of US Pres. Theodore Roosevelt	a pale grayish-blue color
Alice in Wonderland	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll	illusory; unreal
Alphonse and Gaston	Alphonse and Gaston, comic strip characters created by Frederic Burr Opper (1905)	two people who treat each other with excessive, often self-defeating deference
Alzheimer's disease	Alois Alzheimer, Ger neurologist 1864–1915
amazon	Amazons, a tribe of warrior women in classical legend	a tall, aggressive, strong-willed woman
America	Mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller accepted Amerigo Vespucci's (1454–1512) claim to have discovered the New World
amethyst	Nymph Amethyst, when pursued by the god of wine, was changed into this gem to protect her	[gem was believed to prevent drunkenness; the name means "not intoxicating'']
ammonia	from sal ammoniac, which in turn are salt deposits containing ammonium chloride found near temple of Jupiter Ammon in Libya
Amphitryon	King Amphitryon in Greek myth. Became eponym from Moliere's line, "Le veritable Amphitryon est l'Amphitryon ou l'on dine."	a generous entertainer; a good host
Anacreontic	Anacreon, Gk poet noted praising love and wine (563?–478? BC)	erotic; convivial; such a song or poem
ananias	Ananias, early Christian struck dead for lying (Acts 4-5)	a liar
Annie Oakley	Annie Oakley, Amer sharpshooter (1860–1926), star attraction of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show	a free ticket or pass (compares a punched ticket with target full of bullet holse)
Antaean	Gk Antaeus, a mythical giant whom Hercules overcame	mammoth, or of superhuman strength
aphrodisiac	Aphrodite, Gk goddess of love and beauty
Apician	Apicius (Apicianus), a notorious Roman gourmand	epicurean; peculiarly dainty in food
apollonian	Apollo, Gk god	harmonious, measured, restrained
April	the month of Venus, Roman version of Gk Aphrodite (perh. through Etruscan version Apru)
argus	Argos, a hundred-eyed monster of Gk legend	a watchful guardian (Argus-eyed = vigilantly observant)
argyle	Argyle, branch of the Scottish clan of Campbell
aristarch	Aristarchus of Samothrace, Greek scholar and critic, ~200 BC	a severe critic (adj.: aristarchian)
athenaeum	ultimately from Gk meaning the "temple of Athena"	a place with print materials to read; or, an institution to promote learning (e.g. a literary or science club, or a library)
atlas	Atlas, titan in Gk mythology
augean	Augeas, legendary Gk king who did not clean his stable for thirty years; Hecules took on the job	utterly filthy from long neglect; requiring heroic efforts of cleaning
August	named by Augustus Caesar for himself; in this month occurred many fortunate events of his career
aurora	Aurora, Roman goddess of dawn
axel	Axel Paulsen, Norwegian figure skater (1856–1938)	a kind of jump in figure skating
Babbitt	George Babbitt, character in the Sinclair Lewis novel Babbitt (1922)	a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards
babbitt metal	Isaac Babbitt, Am inventor died 1862	alloy used for lining bearings
Bacchanal	Bacchus, Roman god of wine	a drunken feast; an orgy
Baedeker	Karl Baedeker (1801–1859), Ger publisher who established a series of guidebooks in 1829	a guidebook to countries or a country
bakelite	Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944), Amer, its inventor	tradename of an early, successful plastic
balmy; barmy (crazy)	most say from 'barm' (beer foam). But Ciardi convincingly traces it to St. Bartholomew's ward for the non-violent insane at the hospital noted under 'bedlam'. 'Bartholomew' contracted to 'barmy'.
bant	William Banting (1797-1878), Eng, authored Letter on Corulence (1869)	to diet, esp. a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet
Barmecide; Barmecide feast	Barmecide, a wealthy Persian in The Arabian Nights, who invited a beggar to a feast of imaginary food	providing only the illusion of abundance
barnumize	P. T. Barnum, US showman who popularized the circus (1810–1891) [not yet in dictionaries]	to advertise or promote by exaggerated claims and hyperbole
baroque	arguably from Federigo Barocci (~1530-1612), Ital artist
Bartlett pear	Enoch Bartlett, Am (1779–1860), who developed and popularized it
batty	prob. from "bats in the belfry", but some sources say it is an eponym from Fitzherbert Batty, a prominent but eccentric Eng barrister in Jamaica who was certified as insane in 1839
beau brummell	George Bryan ("Beau") Brummell, Englishman (1778 - 1840)	a dandy; a fop
béchamel sauce	Louis de Béchamel (1603-1703), steward of Louis XIV of Fr
bedlam	asylum for the insane at London's Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, which popular speech shortened to "bedlam"
begonia	Michel Bégon, Fr governor of Haiti (1638–1710)	a flower common in gardening
belcher	scarf which Jim (Jem?) Belcher (1781–1822), champion Brit. boxer, regularly wore, knotted suavely about the neck	a small blue scarf with white dots
benedict	Benedick, character in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing	a former newly married man who was previously a confirmed bachelor
Benedict Arnold	Benedict Arnold, traitorous Am Revolutionary general (1741–1801)	a traitor (I do not find this in dictionaries as a word, but it is common in the press.)
Big Bertha	Bertha Krupp, daughter of Ger arms maker Alfred Krupp (husband Gustav changed his surname to Krupp). Originally 'Fat Bertha'.	a huge "mobile" long-range Ger gun in WWI. Now used as a name for a golf club.
biro	László Biró, Hungarian, its inventor	ball point pen (trademark?)
bishop (verb)	"From the name of the scoundrel who first practiced it"	to file down a horse's teeth to hide its age
black maria	some suggest Maria Lee, black Boston woman ~1825, who helped to round those who occupied of the wagon	a patrol wagon to round up criminals and drunks
bloody mary	Queen Mary I (1553–1558) whose persecution of Protestants earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary"	a cocktail made with vodka and spicy tomato juice
bloomers	Amelia Jenks Bloomer, Am activist and feminist (1818–1894), popularized such clothes
blucher	Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, (1742–1819) Prussian field marshal, defeated Napoléon at Laon, aided in victory at Waterloo	a type of high shoe or half boot
bluebeard	Bluebeard, a fairy-tale character	man who repeately marries and kills wives
bluestocking	Eng botanist Benj. Stillingfleet, too poor for proper dress, lectured to a club of literate English ladies wearing blue worsted stockings (not black silk). Detractors called him Blue Stockings and the group the Blue Stocking Society.	a woman having intellectual or literary interests
bobby	Sir Robert (Bob) Peel, who organized the London police force	Brit. policeman
bob's your uncle	Prime Misister Robert Cecil (1830-1903), the uncle in question, appointed his nephew to a post	Brit. phrase for something easily achieved
Bodoni	Giambiattista Bodoni, It printer died 1813	a printing type, based on Boldoni’s designs
bogart	Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), Amer film actor	to hog a thing; take more than one's share
Bohr bug	persumably named for Henrik David Bohr, Danish physicist, 1885–1962, 1922 Nobel Prize. See also schroedinbug, etc.	computing jargon: a repeatable bug; one manifesting reliably. antonym: heisenbug
bolivar	Simón Bolívar, So. Amer liberator died 1830	the unit of currency of Venezuela
boniface	Boniface, innkeeper in The Beaux' Stratagem (1707) by George Farquhar (1678–1707)	the proprietor of a hotel, nightclub, or restaurant
booze	not an eponym, but perhaps reinforced by name of Philadelphia distiller E.G. Booze, around 1880
Borachio	perhaps taken from Spanish; perh. taken from Borachio, a character Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing	a drunkard
boreal	Boreus, Gk god of the north wind	of the north wind, or the north
bork (verb)	Judge Robert H. Bork,whose confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court was blocked by his opponents' media campaign (1987)	to systematically attack a public figure, esp. in the media
bosie	after B.J.T. Bosanquet (1877-1936), the first practitioner	Australian slang: a cricket ball, bowled as if to break one way, that breaks the opposite way
Boswell	James Boswell, 1740–1795, Scot lawyer, diarist, and writer renowned as the biographer of Samuel Johnson	one who records the life of a famous contemporary
bougainvillea	Louis Antoine de Bougainville, Fr explorer (1729–1811), and who discovered the this plant	a certain flowering plant, common in gardening
bowdlerize	Thomas Bowdler, Eng physician (1754–1825), published a "family Shakespeare", expurgating wording he deemed unsuitable (1818)	to expurgate (a book, for example) prudishly
Bowie knife	popularized by Jim Bowie, famous US frontiersman (1796–1836)– but apparently designed 1827 by his brother Rezin P. Bowie (1793–1841)	a heavy hunting, fighting and throwing knife
bowler	J. Bowler, 19c. London hat manufacturer	a derby hat
boycott	Charles C. Boycott, Eng landlord died 1897, ostracized for refusing to reduce rents	to engage in concerted refusal to deal with
braggadocio	Braggadocchio, character in The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser (1552–1599)	empty, vain bragging
braille	Louis Braille, Fr teacher of the blind (1809–1852)
brodie	Steve Brodie, newsboy who in 1886, on a bet, jumped off New York's Brooklyn Bridge	"do a brodie" - take a chance (old Amer slang)
Bronx	Jonas Bronck, the first settler in the area (died ~1643; sometimes given as Jacob or Joseph Bronck)	Borough of New York City, with population about 1.3 mil.
Brother Jonathan	said to have originated from George Washington thus referring to Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut	the people of the United States collectively
brougham	Henry Peter Brougham, Baron Brougham and Vaux, Scot jurist (1778–1868)	a car, or a closed carriage, with an open driver's seat
bruin	Bruin, the name of the bear in medieval stories of Reynard the Fox. (see also 'chanticleer')	a bear
buckley's chance	William Buckley, Australian convict who, escaping in 1803, survived in the outback for 32 years	Australian slang: remote, scant hope
bumbledom	Mr. Bumble, an officious beadle in Dickens’ Oliver Twist	pompous self-importance and officiousness in a minor official
Bunsen burner	Professor Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, Ger chemist who perfected the device (1811–1899)	a device used in chemistry, for heating
burke	William Burke died 1829, Irish criminal smothered victims to sell intact bodies to medical students for dissection	to suffocate; figuratively, to suppress quietly or indirectly
burnsides	see entry for 'sideburns'	another term for sideburns
busby	Richard Busby (1606-1695), headmaster of Westminster school, whose pupils included Dryden, Lock, and Wren.	tall ceremonial hat of some Brit soldiers
BVD	Bradley, Vorhees & Day, company making that product	underwear (tradename)
Cadillac	Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658–1730), Fr colonial governor who founded Detroit in 1701
caesarean	Julius Caesar, traditionally believed to have been born thus	a cesarean section of delivery of a baby
calliope	Calliope, the Gk muse of epic poetry	a musical instrument of steam whistles
calliopean	Calliope, Gk muse of epic poetry	piercingly loud: a calliopean voice
camellia	Georg Josef Kamel, Moravian Jesuit missionary (1661–1706)
cappuccino	the Cappuchin monks, who wear a habit of the same color
cardigan	7th Earl of Cardigan, Eng soldier died 1868	a type of sweater or jacket
Casanova	Giovanni Jacopo Casanova de Seingalt, Ital adventurer who published his memoirs (1725–1798)	a promiscuous man; or a man amorously and gallantly attentive to women
Cassandra	Gk Kassandra, Trojan prophetess fated never to be believed	one who predicts misfortune or disaster
castor oil	Castor in Gk myth (as in Castor and Pollox). Name given to oils from the beaver, used medicinally; carried over to the vegetable oil that replaced the beaver oil.
catherine wheel	St. Catherine of Alexandria, d.305 by torture on a wheel	firework that forms a rotating, flaming wheel
ceasar salad	Caesar Cardini, Tijuana, Mexico restaurateur, created it from leftovers to serve an unexpected crowd
celsius	Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer (1701–1744)
cereal	Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture
chanticleer	Chanticleer, the name of the rooster in medieval "Reynard the Fox" stories. The name means "sing loud" in Fr. (see also 'bruin')	a rooster
chauvanism	Nicolas Chauvin, fanatically devoted soldier under Napoleon; became an eponym when his name was used as a character in the Cogniard brothers' play La Cocarde Tricolore (1831)	fanatical glorification of one's country (not just "a generous belief in the greatness of one's country"; "wildly extravagant" – Prof. H. Tuttle)
chesterfield	Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773)	a type of sofa, large with upholstered arms
chicken à la king	Foxhall Keene (invented by Delmonico's restauraunt, NY; named for Keene; name changed over time)
chicken tetrazini	Luisa Tetrazzini, Ital soprano
chimerical	Gk. chimaira, a fabulous monster (with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail)	fantastic; wildly or vainly conceived; also given to unrealistic fantasies
chinchona	countess of Chinchón, wife of viceroy of Peru. Legend: when this bark cured her 1638 fever, she had more collected for malaria sufferers	the tree bark that yields quinine
churrigueresque	José Benito Churriguera, Sp architect (1665–1725)	baroque architectural style characterized by elaborate surface decoration
cicerone	It Cicerone, Cicero	a guide who conducts sightseers
Cimmerian	Gk Kimmerioi, a mythical people	very dark or gloomy
cinderella	Cinderella, the fairy-tale character	one suddenly lifted from obscurity to honor or significance
Circean	enchantress Circe of Homer's Odyssey, who first charmed her victims and then changed them to the forms of beasts	pleasing, but noxious; as, a Circean draught
clerihew	Edmund Clerihew Bentley, Br writer (1875–1956)	a witty verse, of two rhyming couplets, on a person named in one of the rhymes
cliometrics	Clio, Gk muse of history	study of history using mathematical and economic models and analysis
cobb salad	invented in 1926 by Bob Cobb, owner of the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles
codswallop	One theory: Hiram Codd, 1838-1887, Eng inventor of a type of soft-drink bottle ('wallop' being slang for beer).	nonsense (Brit slang)
Colonel Blimp	Colonel Blimp, cartoon character created by David Low	and elderly pompous reactionary
colt	Am Samuel Colt (1814-62), its Am inventor	a type of revolver (firearms. trademark?)
comstockery	Anthony Comstock (1844-1915), self-appointed Am crusader against immorality	censorship on basis of immorality or obscenity (coined by George Bernard Shaw)
cook’s tour	Thomas Cook, Eng travel agent (1808–1892)	a quick tour or survey, with attention only to the main features
crapper	Non-eponym, but often mis-attributed to Thomas Crapper, Br plumber and inventor (1836–1910)	toilet
crisscross	Christ’s cross, common on hornbooks in elementary education
croesus	legendary king Croesus of Lydia (died ~547 BC), of huge wealth	a man of extreme wealth
curry favor	from currying Fauvel, a horse in the scathing 1310 story Roman de Fauvel by Gervais de Bus	Note: 'curry' means 'to groom a horse'
cynic	the Cynic philosophers in Plato's time, called kunikos=dog-like. Was it from their sneering sarcasm, or Kynosarge "Grey Dog," the gymnasium where they taught? Maybe a pun, meaning both.
czar, tsar	from Kaiser (see below) and thus ultimately from Julius Caesar
Daedal	Daedalus ("the cunning one"), Athenian inventor in Gk myth	cunningly made; skillful; artul; ingenious
daguerreotype	L. J. M. Daguerre, Fr. painter died 1851	an early type of photograph
dahlia	Anders Dahl, Swedish botanist (1751–1787)
Dandie Dinmont	Dandie Dinmont, character owning such dogs in the novel Guy Mannering by Sir Walter Scott	a certain breed of dog
davenport (desk)	Originally designed for Captain Davenport, ship's captain, by famous firm of Gillow & Barton, Lancaster. introduced ~1860	a kind of small ornamental writing table
davenport (sofa)	Manufacturer Irving, Casson & Davenport of Boston	a kind of sofa
Delphic	oracle of Apollo at Delphi. Her prophecies, like today's horoscopes, were craftily equivocal	obscurely prophetic
derby	Edward Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (1752–1834), founder of the English Derby	name transferred from person to race, and then from race to hat worn there
derrick	(Thomas?) Derick, the hangman of Tyburn, London, Eng ~1600	(originally, a hangman or a gallows)
derringer	Henry Deringer, 19th cent. Am inventor (only one r in his name)	a short-barreled pocket pistol
diddle	Jeremy Diddler, character in the successful 1803 farce Raising the Wind by James Kenney	originally (1806) , "to cheat, swindle," in a small-time way. Note: dic. etymologies neglect this point.
diesel	Rudolf Diesel, Ger engineer (1858–1913), its inventor (1892)
dionysian	Dionysus, Gk god	sensuous, frenzied, or orgiastic
Dives	character in Bible parable, Luke 16:19-31. pronc. DIE-veez	a rich man
Doberman	Ludwig Doberman, 19th cent. Ger dog breeder	a breed of dog (the Doberman pinscher)
doily	One Mr Doiley (or possibly Doyley/Doyly), successful London draper or milliner around 1700
Dolly Varden	Dolly Varden, a woman of colorful clothes in Dickens' Barnaby Rudge	a type of colorfully spotted trout
Don Juan	Don Juan, legendary 14th-c Spanish nobleman and libertine	a seducer of women
doozy	perh. Ital actress Eleonora Duse (1859–1924); wherever started, reinforced by Duesenberg, expensive, classy make of automobile of the late 1920s and 1930s, designed by Fred Duesenberg (1876–1932)	slang: something extraordinary or bizarre (thus, either positive or negative)
doubting Thomas	Saint Thomas, doubted Jesus's resurrection until he had proof	one who is habitually doubtful
Dr. Fell	John Fell, (1625-1686), dean of Christchurch, Oxford, who expelled Tom Brown, prompting Brown’s jingle, “I do not like thee, Dr. Fell …”	a senior person one dislikes, esp. a pedant [not in dictionaries]
draconian	Draco, Gk politician who codified the laws of Athens (~621 BC). His code was unpopular for its severity.	exceedingly harsh; very severe: ("draconian budget cuts")
draisine	Baron von Drais, of Sauerbrun, its inventor	the earliest kind of bicycle
Drawcansir	Drawcansir, a character in George Villiers' play The Rehearsal	one source: "one who kills or injures both friend and foe". Another: "a blustering, bullying fellow; a pot-valiant braggart".
dryasdust	Dr. Jonas Dryasdust, a fictitious character to whom Sir Walter Scott dedicated some of his novels	a dull, pedantic speaker or writer
dunce	John Duns Scotus (1265?–1308) respected Scot. theologian; his followers were dunsmen or duns. Critics ridiculing them in 16c. used 'duns' as a negative term.
dundrearies	Lord Dundreary, character in the play Our American Cousin (1858) by Tom Taylor	long flowing sideburns
Egeria	Egeria, nymph who advised legendary roman king	a woman advisor or companion
eggs benedict	Concocted by Waldorf-Astoria to hangover cure for Samuel Benedict
éminence grise	nickname of Perè Joseph (François Le Clere du Tremblay), Fr monk and confidant of Cardinal Richelieu (1577–1638)	the power behind the throne [but often misused to mean "elder statesman"]
epicurian	Epicurus, Gk philosopher (341–270 BC)
eristic	Eris, Gk god of strife and discord	disputatious, esp. with specious logic
erotic	Eros, Gk god of sexual love
euhemerism	Euhemerus, Gk philosopher 4th cent. BC	interpretation of myths as traditional accounts of historical persons and events
euphuism	Euphues, a character in Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit and Euphues and his England by John Lyly	affected elegance of language
euterpean	Euterpe, Gk muse of music	pertaining to music
Fabian	Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus, who defeated Hannibal	cautious, dilatory
fagin	Fagin, character in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (1839)	one who instructs others in crime
Fahrenheit	Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, Ger physicist, 1686–1736. (born of Ger parents in Gdansk, now in Poland but then in Prussian Confed.)
Fallopian tubes	Gabriello Fallopio (1523-62), It anatomist, described them
Falstaffian	Sir John Falstaff, a character it various Shakespeare plays	jovial, convivial, roguish, with zest for life
fanny adams	Fanny Adams, age 8, victim of a notorious murder and dismemberment in Alton, 1867	archaic naval slang: tinned meat, or unpleasant food. sweet fanny adams: Brit slang for 'nothing whatsoever'
fata morgana	Italian version of the sorceress who, in Arthurian legend, is called Morgan le Fay	a mirage
Faustian	Johann Faust (1480?–1540?), Ger magician and alchemist	insatiably striving for worldly knowledge and power at the price of spiritual values
favonian	Favonius, the west wind personified in myth	mild; benign
fedora	Fédora Romanoff, title role in Victorien Sardou's tragedy Fédora (1882), in which Sarah Bernhardt made a triumphant comeback
ferris wheel	Gale Ferris (1859–1896), Am engineer, its inventor
filberts	St. Philibert's feast day falls at the peak of the nutting season	hazelnuts
fletcherism	Horace Fletcher, Am nutritionist	to chew slowly and thoroughly
foley	Jack Foley, pioneering sound effects editor at Universal Studios in the 1930s (1891–1967)	in filmmaking, the adding of sound effects; the person who does this job
frangipani	Muzio Frangipani, 16th c. Ital marquis	pastry cream filling, almond-flavored; also, perfume of the frangipani shrub
Frankenstein	Frankenstein, the creator of the monster in Mary Shelley' Frankenstein	a monstrous creation; esp. one that ruins its originator
Freudian slip	Sigmund Freud, Austrian physician, founder of psychoanalysis (1856–1939)	a slip of the tongue that reveals some unconscious aspect of the mind
frick and frack	Frick and Frack, stage names of comedy ice-skating duo, Werner Groebli (Frick) and Hans Mauch (Frack)	a closely linked or inseparable pair
Friday	day of Frigga, Gmc. goddess of married love (trans. of L dies Veneris)
frisbee	tins from Mrs. Frisbie's Pies, made by the Frisbie Bakery of Bridgeport, Ct., which U.S. college students began tossing them around in the 1930s	(trademark)
fuchsia	Leonhard Fuchs, Ger botanist died 1566
fudge	some sources cite a Captain Fudge, "who always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies."	Note: there was in fact a Captain Fudge, called "Lying Fudge"
furphy	either 1) Furphy company's portable toilets in WWI Australia, or 2) Joseph Furphy (1843-1912), Aus. author of tall stories	Australian slang: an unreliable report; a "latrine rumor"
galvanize	Luigi Galvani, It physician and physicist died 1798	stimulate to action, as if by electric shock
gamp	as carried by Mrs. Sarah Gamp, character in Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit	a large baggy umbrella
gardenia	Alexander Garden, Sc-born Am naturalist and physician (1730?–1791)
gargantuan	Giant-hero Gargantua in Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel	of immense size; gigantic
garibaldi	Guiseppe Garibaldi, Ital. patriot died 1882	a type of woman’s blouse
gatling gun	designed by Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling (1818-1903)
geiger counter	invented by Ger. physicist Hans Geiger, with W. Müller
georgette	named after Georgette de la Plante, Fr dressmaker	a sheer silk clothing fabric with a dull, creped surface.
gerrymander	Elbridge Gerry, Am statesman died 1814	to divide territory into election districts so as to favor one group
gibberish	Dr. Johnson ascribes this to Geber, 14th c. alchemist. Modern dictionaries disagree.
gibson girl	Charles Dana Gibson, American illustrator (1867–1944) who created her in his sketch. His main model was his wife, Irene Langhorne. Her sister, by the way, was Lady Astor.	idealized 1890s American young woman; also, style of her clothing characterized by high necks, full sleeves, wasp waists
gimlet	perhaps devised by Sir T. O. Gimlette, Br navy surgeon
gladstone bag	William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), Br Prime Minister	a piece of light hand luggage with two hinged compartments
goldilocks	eponym? I cannot verify whether this term is from the nursery story, or an earlier term used in that story	a person with golden hair
Goliath	Goliath, a philistine giant in the bible, slain by David	person or thing of collosal size or power
golliwog	Golliwog, an animated doll in children’s fiction by Bertha Upton	a grotesque black doll; grotesque person
goody two-shoes	Goody Two-shoes, title heroine in 18th c, children's tale (perh, by Oliver Goldsmith) who gushed delight upon getting a second shoe	one who is affectedly good and proper, just a bit too good and proper
goon	Alice the Goon, subhuman creature in E. C. Segar's Popeye comic	note: the word may pre-date Segar
Gordian Knot	Gordius, king of Phrygia	an intricate problem, usu. one insoluble in its own terms
gorgon	Gorgons, three snaky-haired sisters in Gk myth	an ugly or repulsive woman
gorilla	the Gorillai, a tribe of hairy women. Mentioned and named by Carthaginian navigator Hanno in his account of his voyage, 5th- or 6th-cent. BC, along east coast of Africa
gradgrind	Thomas Gradgrind, businessman in Charles Dickens' Hard Times (1854)	one interested only in cold, hard facts
graham cracker	Rev. Sylvester Graham (1794–1851), American cleric and social reformer, who created it as a health food
grand marnier	created/named by Louis Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, 1880	an orange-flavored French liqueur
grangerize	James Granger, Eng. biographer died 1776	to illustrate with pictures collected from other books; to mutilate books to get such materials
granny smith apple	Maria Ann Smith (b. 1799 or 1801; d. 1870), Australian woman who found that variety, as a mutation, in her orchard (1868)
grimthorpe	Sir Edmund Beckett, First Baron Grimthorpe, Eng. architect (1816–1905), lambasted in his restoration of St. Albans Abbey	to badly remodel a building, ignoring its character or history
grog (groggy)	Old Grog, nickname of Edward Vernon died 1757, Eng admiral admiral who ordered that his sailors' rum be served diluted	rum cut with water (leading to groggy)
grundyism; mrs. grundy	Mrs. Grundy, character alluded to in the play Speed the Plough by Br playwright Thomas Morton (1764–1838)	an extremely conventional or priggish person
guillotine	Joseph Ignace Guillotin (1738–1814), physician and Fr Revolution Assembly-member, advocated it as more humane than hanging
guppy	R. J. Lechmere Guppy (1836–1916), Trinidad clergyman who first supplied specimens to the British Museum
guy	originally, an effigy of Guy Fawkes, leader of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up British king and Parliament (Nov. 5, 1605)	chap; fellow (informal)
ham (a bad actor)	one theory traces this to Hamish McCullough (1835-85), whose acting troop, "Ham's Actors," toured the US midwest.
harlequin	Arlecchino (in F Harlequin), Ital commedia dell'arte's buffoonish stock-character. (Ital term may come from Old F Hellequin, who led a band of demons across the sky on ghostly horses.)	a clown-like pattern of brightly diamond shapes; or, of many colors
harlot	not an eponym; a now-debunked tale is that it is from Arlette, unwed mother of William the Conqueror
havelock	Sir Henry Havelock, Eng. general died 1857	a covering on a cap to protect the back of the neck
hector	Hektor, the Trojan champion in the Trojan War	a bully, braggart
heisenbug	name from Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. Werner Karl Heisenberg, 1901–1976, Ger physicist, 1932 quantum mechanics, 1932 Nobel Prize. See also schroedinbug, etc.	computing jargon: bug acting differently when one tries to probe it (e.g., if it acts on values altered by debugging program)
herculean	Hercules of Gk myth	of extraordinary power, size, or difficulty
hermaphrodite	Hermaphroditos, son of Hermes and Aphrodite who becomes joined in one body with a nymph while bathing	animal or plant with both male and female reproductive organs; also, a combination of diverse elements
hermetic	Hermes Trismegitus (lit. ‘Hermes thrice greatest), legendary author concerning magic, astrology and alchemy	recondite. Also: [from belief he invented a magic seal] airtight, or impervious to external influence
Hobson’s Choice	Thomas Hobson, Eng. liveryman died 1631 who made each customer take the nearest horse	a choice, appearing free, but with no real alternative
hooker	A common view traces term to Amer Civil War general Joseph Hooker. But in fact the term is earilier, and is not an eponym.	prostitute
hooligan	perh. fr. Patrick Hooligan, Irish hoodlum in London fl 1898
hoover	William Henry Hoover, Amer industrialist (1849–1932)	a vacuum cleaner; to vacuum with one
Hooverville	Herbert Clark Hoover (1874–1964), US president at the first years of the Great Depression began	a crudely built camp put up on the edge of town to house the homeless
Horatio Alger	Horatio Alger, Am author of inspirational adventure stories for boys (1832–1899)	achieving success through hard work and virtue (per Alger's stories)
hotspur	Hotspur, in Shakespeare's Henry V. (Mrs. Bryne's Dictionary says the word comes from characterand not vice versa.)	a hot-headed, impetuous man
hoyle	Edmond Hoyle (1672?-1769), Br writer on games	according to Hoyle = per the prescribed rules
huttoning	Richard and Robert Hutton, Eng bonesetters, who made it a part of their method	forcible manipulation of a dislocated, stiff, or painful joint
hyacinth	Hyacinth, handsome young man in Gk myth adored by two gods	a type of flower
hypnosis	Hypnos, Gk god of sleep
Icarian	Gk Ikraros, legendary son of Daedalus	inadequate for an ambitious project
ignoramus	Ignoramus, lawyer in George Ruggle's play Ignoramus (1615). Latin for "we are ignorant of"	an utterly ignorant person
jackanapes	nickname for William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk (1396-1450), whose coat of arms included an ape; slang for monkey was Jack Napes ("Jack of Naples")	a silly, conceited person; a ridiculous upstart
Jacky Howe	John "Jacky" Howe (1855-1922), superb Australian sheepshearer. His 1892 record (321 merinos in one working day) stood until 1950, when a machine beat it.	Australian slang: a sheepshearer's sleeveless shirt
jacuzi	trademarked name; company founder Roy Jacuzzi
January	Janus, Roman god with two faces looking in opposite directions
jeep	Originally the 'GP' (for 'general purpose'); influenced by Eugene the Jeep, pet creature of Olive Oyl in E.G. Segar's comic strip. "Jeep" was the sound the creature made.
jehu	Jehu, king of Israel, known for his wild chariot driving (Bible II Kings)	one who drives furiously
jekell and hyde	The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson
jeremiad	Jeremiah, pessimistic Old Testament prophet, died ~585 B.C.	a speech of bitter lament or righteous prophecy of doom
jerry-built	perhaps from the Jerry brothers, early 19th c. Liverpool firm that built unsound houses
jerry-can	perhaps from jeroboam, a large bolw or bottle, which is in turn from Jeroboam I, King of Israel, 931-910 B.C.	Military slang: a 5-gallon petrol can
jezebel	Jezebel, a wicked woman in the bible (I and II Kings)	a evil and scheming woman
jim crow	from name of a black minstrel character in a popular song-and-dance act, which in turn from a T.D. Rice song of 1828	upholding discrimination against Black people ("Jim Crow laws")
jingoism	from 'by jingo', which may be a euphemism for Jesus	extreme and belligerent nationalism
joe	Charlse Joseph La Trobe, 1801-75, fanatical and pety lawman, Lt. Gov. of Victoria in 1851	Australian slang: policeman
John Bull	John Bull, a character in John Arbuthnot's Law Is a Bottomless Pit	personification of England or the English
john dory	some say from John Dory, 16th c. privateer. But more likely from its golden color (Fr doré = golden)	a kind of fish
John Hancock	John Hancock, the first signor of the US Declaration of Independence. His signature there is prominent.	a person's signature
jonah	Jonah, character in the bible swallowed by a big fish	one believed to bring bad luck
jorum	perh. bible, Joram, II Samuel 8:10, who “brought ... vessels of silver”	a large drinking vessel, or its contents
jovial	Jupiter, Roman god (unclear if word is the god, or from presumed astrological inflence of the planet named after that god)
judas	Judas Iscariot, biblical traitor	one who betrays in the guise of friendship (judas hole: one-way peephole in a door)
juggernaut	Jaggernaut, a title of Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu)	a massive inexorable force that crushes everything in its path
July	Julius Caesar
jumbo	Jumbo, name of the London Zoo's huge elephant, sold in 1882 (the word is from the elephant's name, not vice versa). The name may come from Swahili jumbe = chief
June	Juno, chief Roman goddess, wife of Jupiter
kaiser roll	from the Ger title 'Kaiser'=emporor, which is from Julius Caesar
kewpie doll	doll named for the god Cupid by its creator, commercial illustrator Rose O'Neill (1874–1944)
kir	Canon Felix Kir (1876-1968), mayor of Dijon, who is said to have invented the drink
klieg light	brothers John H. Kliegl (1869–1959) and Anton Tiberius Kliegl (1872–1927), German-born Am lighting experts
knickerbocker	Historian Deidrich Knickerbocker, Washington Irving's pseudonym in his wildly popular, humorous History of New York (1809)	a resident of New York (city or state)
knickers	the pants worn by the Knickerbockers (see above) in illustrations of in 1850's edition of Irving's book
labanotation	Rudolph Laban (1879–1958), Hungarian choreographer	a system of notation for recording the dance
Lamarckism	J. B. de Monet Lamarck, Fr biologist died 1829	theory that one passes his acquired physical traits to his descendants
lavaliere	Françoise Louise de la Baume Le Blanc (1644–1710), Duchesse de La Vallière, the lover of Louis XIV of France	a pendant worn on a chain around the neck
leotard	Jules Léotard, Fr aerialist (1830–1870)
levi's jeans; Levi's	Levi Strauss, (1829?–1902), Am manufacturer who founded the company (1850)	(tradmark)
lewisite	Winford Lee Lewis, Am chemist (1878–1943)	a poison gas developed for war use
lobster newberg	Ben Wenburg. (Invented by Delmonico's restauraunt, NY; named for Wenburg; name changed upon a falling out.)
loganberry	James H. Logan (1841-1928), Am lawyer develped it, 1881	a type of blackberry/raspberry cross
lothario	Lothario, seducer in Nicholas Rowe's play The Fair Penitent (1703)	a man whose chief interest is seducing women
lucullan	Lucius Licinius Lucullus Ponticus, Roman general (~110–~56 BC)	lavish, luxurious, opulent (e.g. a banquet)
Lucy Stoner	Lucy Stone (1818-1893), prominent Am suffragette	a married woman who keeps her maiden name
Luddite	Luddites, organized band of weavers who destroyed machinery in England 1811–16, said to be Ned Ludd, a Leicestershire worker	one who opposes technological change
lush	one theory cites a drinking club known as City of Lushington after Dr Thomas Lushington (1590-1661), Br chaplain