On Sat, 24 May 2003 13:58:52 GMT, d_ruether@hotmail.com (Neuman - Ruether)

wrote:

>OT, but I've been amused by GM car names, especially

>those for the Chevrolet, as in Citation ("traffic ticket"),

>Caprice ("joke"), Nova ("doesn't go", in Spanish),

Citations, of course, can be both good or bad. The meaning of caprice

is more of a whim than a joke, but one etamology is from the Italian

"to shudder." Both are awful names that could have only been born in

a focus group. I'm convinced that "Impact" was an intentional slam at

California and at CARB in particular.

As for Nova, "no go" is pretty much an urban legend. See:

http://www.snopes2.com/business/misxlate/nova.htm

I suspect any company that uses names instead of numbers has run into

the same thing. How can one face an English (or Latin) teacher after

buy _a_ Mazda Millenia? How many American men have had to explain why

they hired an Escort when in England? Or worse, engaged one?

--

Michael Benveniste -- mhb@clearether.com

Who once owned an Merkur XR4Ti, which was German for "falls apart."