I must confess I was very intrigued when Chelsea asked me to find Latin roots of her name. It was hard work (definitely worth $8 an hour, possibly $9?) and I learned some extremely valuable things about my most cultured sister while researching her name.
No joke, the first thing that came up was this: A North American slang term for a particular hairstyle popular with female skinheads. Needless to say I was quite shocked, but not worried. For those of you reading - it only get better.
While most of you know that Chelsea is a particular area of London, England, I bet you didn't know that it is often referred to as the "global ultra prime residence area" of London where it is "equally fashionable and expensive." (1, Wikipedia) Not a coincidence for sure. It is also known for it's small but chic LATIN AREA where many famous LATIN restaurants reside. I also compiled a list of important and influential people that have occupied the same area that our beloved sister is named for including:
Sir Francis Bacon
Eric Clapton
Johnny Depp
Judy Garland
Gwenyth Paltrow
JRR Tolkien
Margaret Thatcher
Mark Twain
Il Divo
AND Bob Marley wrote his hit "I Shot the Sheriff" in a one-bedroom flat in the Chelsea area.
In ancient times, the word Chelsea was written as Chelchith (Chelsea with a lisp?). Fortunately for Chels, the Brits eventually got the pronounciation right. Chelsea actually means "a landing place for chalk or limestone" (Bet we would have listened to Dad more on our trip through Southern Utah if we knew that all the limestone was related to Chels)
One in every 140,441 Americans is named Chelsea, but I was not able to find more than one Chelsea Jan Smart! Chels - you are SO original.
The sum of the alphabetical order of letters in Chelsea is 53, which makes her arithmetic buddies with words like Daring and Vocal.
One variation of Chelsea is the Latin name Chela, which is also the Latin slang word for beer. The nickname for Chela is "Che" as in "Che Guevera." One again - not a coincidence.
The Chelsea Drink was a low alcohol carbonated beverage created by Anheuser-Busch in the late 1970's. It was advertised as the "not so soft drink."
It is easy to see that our favorite East Coast sister is not simply another Chelsea. She is special, and so is her name. One again Durrell and Shelly - you guys have out-smarted us all.
*Pictures of Snick's new life are soon to come.
4 comments:
Wow! Your research skills are truly unmatched. I am very impressed with the dirt you have dug. I had no idea that people actually calculated the sum of the alphabetical order of their name and other words. Fascinating. Maybe you should research Cole and Keith. That could fill up some time...
Wow Syd, very impressive research indeed. I'm glad to hear about the Chelsea connection to limestone which helps with Dad teaching her to lay brick, she has always been amazingly talented, daring and vocal too. This is really good stuff. Oh, and Syd thanks for the great pic!
Syd, You have truly made my Friday! I love that I am not the only Smartie that stalks this blog multiple times a day. Now that I know I have a strong connections to Che Guevera my life could not get any better!!! Your research skills amaze me!
I must admit that I am fearful of what else you might uncover in all of your idle time. the age-old adage, "Idleness is the Devil's workshop" never seemed more relevant.
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