Name Game Pointless Prize

[Steve O]

My #namegame quest was leading me to Stevens St. in downtown Nashville

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When I arrived, however, it was no longer there, replaced by this enormous, new building under construction. The Bcycle bike is located pretty much exactly at the previous corner of 12th Avenue S and Stevens St.

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[Steve O]

No better place to park than Lot O!

At the Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN

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[Nadine]

@lordofthemark 215782 wrote:

Bear with me, this one is going to be long. (Also I assume a graffiti is acceptable? It’s been there awhile, and I swear I didn’t put it there)

So this is the yod – hay – vov – hay. The tetragrammaton. The four letter Hebrew name of God.

At least by the second Temple era pronouncing it was taboo. It was only spoken by the high priest on Yom Kippur. It is said the pronunciation is forgotten (though based on elements found in other Hebrew names, etc, scholars believe it was pronounced “yahweh”)

Given the taboo, Jews have pronounced it “adonai” , which is Hebrew for my lord, (from adon, lord, nobleman). Thus why it fits this thread. It has traditionally been translated as “lord” though many recent translations use alternatives like sovereign or infinite.

As an aside, in Hebrew texts the four letters are usually given the vowels that go with adonai, as a reminder to the reader to substitute that euphemism for the taboo name. By a misunderstanding, some 16th century protestants, reading hebrew texts, thought this was the way the name was pronounced so they read it as Jehovah. Not a name Jews had ever used.

As another aside, most Orthodox and some other Jews will not say “adonai ” outside prayer. They will instead say “hashem” (“the name”). A euphemism for a euphemism.

In fact some Jews will not write “God” in English, but write G-d instead. This has been condemned as silly on “Surely this Will Save Conservative Judaism” (one of two “Jewbook” groups I follow – the other being JUMTOT – Jewish Urbanist Memes for Transit Oriented Teens – both are mostly snark, and the latter has more bike focused content)

Entry #8

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Hahaha you tell em, Ken.
Great explanations btw. I didn’t know half that stuff. And you explained it so clearly…. It reads like a passover story.

[consularrider]

A variant of my surname at the intersection with DeWitt in Potomac, Alexandria

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[Steve O]

The elevator was broken, so I couldn’t get the bike upstairs. Thankfully, the sign was visible from below.

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This presumably amazing gallery is located in The Arcade in downtown Nashville, TN

[CBGanimal]

2/18/2022 street with part of my name

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[CBGanimal]

2/19/2022 my name in art!

Funny thing my sister’s name is Maria!

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[Steve O]

O Salon in Georgetown

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[CBGanimal]

2/20/2022 My name in the Market square at a stand

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[Steve O]

Finally I was in the vicinity

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In Falls Church

[consularrider]

I finally got my middle name after finding a variant of my surname, but forgot to stop and get my given name.

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[consularrider]

Ok, got the given name this morning on 21st St, NW in Golden Triangle

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[lordofthemark]

@consularrider 216912 wrote:

I finally got my middle name after finding a variant of my surname, but forgot to stop and get my given name.

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My brother’s middle name is “Jay”. Perhaps we are related?

Also since I am sure you know why DC’s grid goes from Eye (I) Street to K Street, here’s this https://jstreet.org/ but also this http://www.jstreetcompanies.com/development

[consularrider]

@lordofthemark 216979 wrote:

My brother’s middle name is “Jay”. Perhaps we are related?

Also since I am sure you know why DC’s grid goes from Eye (I) Street to K Street, here’s this https://jstreet.org/ but also this http://www.jstreetcompanies.com/development

Well, my sister did used to work for “NOTIS,” a library systems provider in Dallas in the 80s.

I like the theory that L’Enfant didn’t like John Jay more than that there was no “J” in the Roman alphabet or that “J” looked too much like “I.” I remembered that last one, but googled the other two. I’ll Have to visit John Jay Park on the UES later this week.

[lordofthemark]

@consularrider 217023 wrote:

Well, my sister did used to work for “NOTIS,” a library systems provider in Dallas in the 80s.

I like the theory that L’Enfant didn’t like John Jay more than that there was no “J” in the Roman alphabet or that “J” looked too much like “I.” I remembered that last one, but googled the other two. I’ll Have to visit John Jay Park on the UES later this week.

I found out about the library system years ago, when I was looking for relatives online, using pre-google search engines. Also that there is a popular musician in Greece with the name. Sadly, despite my dad’s belief/hope/fantasy that we were descended from Greek Jews who wandered north to Greater Lithuania, in fact the name is a regional patronymic/diminutive form of Nathan/Natan/Nate (and of Yiddish origin) – an equivalent to the more common “Nathanson”. I had hoped this would provide more easy name game opportunities, but so far none locally – why oh why do we not have a “Nathan’s Famous” in greater DC?

[Author]

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