Eponyms through the ages

[Updated below.]

• Caesarian (c. 100BCE)


• Sandwich (c. 1765)


• Guillotine (c. 1792)


• Mackintosh (c. 1823)


• Derringer (c. 1852)


• Maverick (c. 1854)


• Cardigan (c. 1855)


• Boycott (c. 1880)


• Sadism (c. 1886)


• Ponzi scheme (c. 1920)


• Mae West (c. 1936)
  

And now we can proudly add the following to this list:

• Foley (2006)

Update: Since this post came out, two friends connected to The Industry have pointed out a source of confusion here. As long-time correspondent The Movie Guy writes:

I expect sound effects people are not going to be very happy about this. They are called Foley Artists named after Jack Foley one of the first in film sound effects.

As if this even needs to be said, The Movie Guy is, of course, quite correct (so correct it could be construed as an insult even to link here to the proof).

In defense of the new usage, the sound guys are properly called "Foley Artists," as TMG points out, and no one--not C|Net and certainly not I--would use the "A-word" in connection with the behavior of the former GOP Rep from FLA 16.

Anyway, I assume that usage and context will keep it straightened out, unless we've got one of these two Chomskian improbabilities:

• A sentence about a sound effects guy who trolls IM for underage kids, or


• A sentence about a predator who lures in his prey by using coconut shells to make "clop, clop" sounds, and then yells, "Hey kids--I think I hear a pony!"

Both of these seem fairly unlikely. At least that's going to be my story.