Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Name Calling

   The man who would be king in America might want to consider names, not only his own but also those on his staff.
   The don, of course, refers to an important boss-type person among the Mafiosi, but it was borrowed from the Italian and Spanish. And while a don is someone to be respected and perhaps feared, he is not a king.
   That honor, if only linguistic, goes to the deputy press secretary named Raj, whose name translates from the Hindi for king and is related to the Latin "rex," which means king. Moreover, the aide's last name, Shah, also refers to a monarch.
   But if the name Rex comes from the Latin for king, that may be the underlying reason Mr. Tillerson was fired from his job as secretary of state.
   Perhaps any women on the White House staff named Regina may want to update their resumes.
   And what chance, if any, do Hispanic men named Cesar have?

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