# Baker’s Dozen III **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [August 22, 2022, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093 "2022-08-22T15:39:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 459
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2026, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9161 "2026-01-31T11:00:33Z")
**Very Successful Professional Wrestlers Who Never Won a World Heavyweight Title** 1. Jake “The Snake” Roberts 2. Jacques Rougeau 3. Arn Anderson 4. Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) 5. William Regal 6. Abdullah the Butcher 7. Xavier Woods One of the most-decorated tag-team champions of all-time and a former King of the Ring, but he’s never held a WWE singles championship at any level. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2026, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9162 "2026-01-31T13:05:58Z")
**Very Successful Professional Wrestlers Who Never Won a World Heavyweight Title** 1. Jake “The Snake” Roberts 2. Jacques Rougeau 3. Arn Anderson 4. Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) 5. William Regal 6. Abdullah the Butcher 7. Xavier Woods 8. George “The Animal” Steele ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2026, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9163 "2026-01-31T13:16:13Z")
**Very Successful Professional Wrestlers Who Never Won a World Heavyweight Title** 1. Jake “The Snake” Roberts 2. Jacques Rougeau 3. Arn Anderson 4. Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) 5. William Regal 6. Abdullah the Butcher 7. Xavier Woods 8. George “The Animal” Steele 9. Tito Santana He was a legendary Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion, but never held the top belt in a major promotion. He did hold the ECW Heavyweight Title back when it was still part of the NWA. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9164 "2026-02-04T16:37:10Z")
**Very Successful Professional Wrestlers Who Never Won a World Heavyweight Title** 1. Jake “The Snake” Roberts 2. Jacques Rougeau 3. Arn Anderson 4. Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) 5. William Regal 6. Abdullah the Butcher 7. Xavier Woods 8. George “The Animal” Steele 9. Tito Santana 10. Rowdy Roddy Piper ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9165 "2026-02-06T14:53:53Z")
**Very Successful Professional Wrestlers Who Never Won a World Heavyweight Title** 1. Jake “The Snake” Roberts 2. Jacques Rougeau 3. Arn Anderson 4. Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) 5. William Regal 6. Abdullah the Butcher 7. Xavier Woods 8. George “The Animal” Steele 9. Tito Santana 10. Rowdy Roddy Piper 11. Ted DiBiase ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9166 "2026-02-10T16:00:12Z")
**Very Successful Professional Wrestlers Who Never Won a World Heavyweight Title** 1. Jake “The Snake” Roberts 2. Jacques Rougeau 3. Arn Anderson 4. Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) 5. William Regal 6. Abdullah the Butcher 7. Xavier Woods 8. George “The Animal” Steele 9. Tito Santana 10. Rowdy Roddy Piper 11. Ted DiBiase 12. Owen Hart ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9167 "2026-02-10T16:21:32Z")
**Very Successful Professional Wrestlers Who Never Won a World Heavyweight Title** 1. Jake “The Snake” Roberts 2. Jacques Rougeau 3. Arn Anderson 4. Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) 5. William Regal 6. Abdullah the Butcher 7. Xavier Woods 8. George “The Animal” Steele 9. Tito Santana 10. Rowdy Roddy Piper 11. Ted DiBiase 12. Owen Hart 13. Sami Zayn I think he will one day, though, at WrestleMania. Pass. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9168 "2026-02-10T16:35:13Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9169 "2026-02-10T17:12:23Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9170 "2026-02-10T20:44:54Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9171 "2026-02-10T23:17:13Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9172 "2026-02-11T03:07:29Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. 5. **Crap** - vulgar name of feces, most likely coined after Thomas Crapper, a British plumber and businessman who branded toilets with the name “Crapper.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9173 "2026-02-11T04:18:52Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. 5. **Crap** - vulgar name of feces, most likely coined after Thomas Crapper, a British plumber and businessman who branded toilets with the name “Crapper.” 6. **Xerox** - the verb comes from the name of the photocopy-machine manufacturer, which still tries to defend its trademark. The whole “Crapper” connection is disputed: [Thomas Crapper - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Crapper) ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9174 "2026-02-11T13:10:36Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. 5. **Crap** - vulgar name of feces, most likely coined after Thomas Crapper, a British plumber and businessman who branded toilets with the name “Crapper.” 6. **Xerox** - the verb comes from the name of the photocopy-machine manufacturer, which still tries to defend its trademark. 7. **Macadamia nuts** - In 1857 botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named them after his friend John Macadam (no relation to the above mentioned John McAdam who had both tarmac and macadam[ize] named for him). They were previously know as Bauple nuts, after Mt. Bauple in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9175 "2026-02-11T19:56:11Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. 5. **Crap** - vulgar name of feces, most likely coined after Thomas Crapper, a British plumber and businessman who branded toilets with the name “Crapper.” 6. **Xerox** - the verb comes from the name of the photocopy-machine manufacturer, which still tries to defend its trademark. 7. **Macadamia nuts** - In 1857 botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named them after his friend John Macadam (no relation to the above mentioned John McAdam who had both tarmac and macadam[ize] named for him). They were previously know as Bauple nuts, after Mt. Bauple in Australia. 8. **Gardenia** - plant named by Linnaeus for Scots naturalist Alexander Garden, even though he had no connection to it. One of my favorite flowering plants, but difficult for me to grow. I’ve killed at least 4 of them 😞 ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9176 "2026-02-14T18:22:47Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. 5. **Crap** - vulgar name of feces, most likely coined after Thomas Crapper, a British plumber and businessman who branded toilets with the name “Crapper.” 6. **Xerox** - the verb comes from the name of the photocopy-machine manufacturer, which still tries to defend its trademark. 7. **Macadamia nuts** - In 1857 botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named them after his friend John Macadam (no relation to the above mentioned John McAdam who had both tarmac and macadam[ize] named for him). They were previously know as Bauple nuts, after Mt. Bauple in Australia. 8. **Gardenia** - plant named by Linnaeus for Scots naturalist Alexander Garden, even though he had no connection to it. 9. **Minke Whale** - Minke was new at his job as a spotter on a Norwegian Whaling ship and called out that he could see a Blue Whale when it was in fact a Minke Whale (less than 5% of the size of a Blue Whale), the crew started calling the whale Minke’s whale to mock the spotter. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9177 "2026-02-14T19:45:26Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. 5. **Crap** - vulgar name of feces, most likely coined after Thomas Crapper, a British plumber and businessman who branded toilets with the name “Crapper.” 6. **Xerox** - the verb comes from the name of the photocopy-machine manufacturer, which still tries to defend its trademark. 7. **Macadamia nuts** - In 1857 botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named them after his friend John Macadam (no relation to the above mentioned John McAdam who had both tarmac and macadam[ize] named for him). They were previously know as Bauple nuts, after Mt. Bauple in Australia. 8. **Gardenia** - plant named by Linnaeus for Scots naturalist Alexander Garden, even though he had no connection to it. 9. **Minke Whale** - Minke was new at his job as a spotter on a Norwegian Whaling ship and called out that he could see a Blue Whale when it was in fact a Minke Whale (less than 5% of the size of a Blue Whale), the crew started calling the whale Minke’s whale to mock the spotter. 10. **Mausoleum** - Named after a Persian governor, Mausolus, who was in office 2300 years ago. His own burial chamber was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 15th century. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9178 "2026-02-15T05:30:33Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. 5. **Crap** - vulgar name of feces, most likely coined after Thomas Crapper, a British plumber and businessman who branded toilets with the name “Crapper.” 6. **Xerox** - the verb comes from the name of the photocopy-machine manufacturer, which still tries to defend its trademark. 7. **Macadamia nuts** - In 1857 botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named them after his friend John Macadam (no relation to the above mentioned John McAdam who had both tarmac and macadam[ize] named for him). They were previously know as Bauple nuts, after Mt. Bauple in Australia. 8. **Gardenia** - plant named by Linnaeus for Scots naturalist Alexander Garden, even though he had no connection to it. 9. **Minke Whale** - Minke was new at his job as a spotter on a Norwegian Whaling ship and called out that he could see a Blue Whale when it was in fact a Minke Whale (less than 5% of the size of a Blue Whale), the crew started calling the whale Minke’s whale to mock the spotter. 10. **Mausoleum** - Named after a Persian governor, Mausolus, who was in office 2300 years ago. His own burial chamber was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 15th century. 11. **Muslin** - a fine cotton fabric from Bengal, named for Mosul, the city in Iraq where European traders encountered it in the 1600s. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9179 "2026-02-15T19:47:11Z")
**Origins of item names** 1. **Molotov Cocktail** - Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov declared on Soviet state radio that the incendiary bombing missions on Finland were actually “airborne humanitarian food deliveries” for their “starving” neighbors. The Finns developed these firebombs to throw on Soviet tanks as a drink to go with Molotov’s alleged food parcels. 2. **Graham crackers** - Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century minister who thought that bland food would prevent carnal urges. He created the cracker using unsifted flour and no sugar or spices hoping that it would lead people to a more celibate life. 3. **Tarmac** - originally a trademark name, short for tar macadam, after engineer John McAdam, who developed the crushed stone paving method. 4. **Cardigan** - James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army major general who led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. His fame led to the popularity of jacket-like open front sweaters modeled after the knitted wool waistcoat that British officers supposedly wore during the war. Interestingly, both the balaclava (named after the Battle of Balaclava) and raglan sleeves (named after the 1st Baron Raglan, commander of the British troops) also got their names from the Crimean War. 5. **Crap** - vulgar name of feces, most likely coined after Thomas Crapper, a British plumber and businessman who branded toilets with the name “Crapper.” 6. **Xerox** - the verb comes from the name of the photocopy-machine manufacturer, which still tries to defend its trademark. 7. **Macadamia nuts** - In 1857 botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named them after his friend John Macadam (no relation to the above mentioned John McAdam who had both tarmac and macadam[ize] named for him). They were previously know as Bauple nuts, after Mt. Bauple in Australia. 8. **Gardenia** - plant named by Linnaeus for Scots naturalist Alexander Garden, even though he had no connection to it. 9. **Minke Whale** - Minke was new at his job as a spotter on a Norwegian Whaling ship and called out that he could see a Blue Whale when it was in fact a Minke Whale (less than 5% of the size of a Blue Whale), the crew started calling the whale Minke’s whale to mock the spotter. 10. **Mausoleum** - Named after a Persian governor, Mausolus, who was in office 2300 years ago. His own burial chamber was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 15th century. 11. **Muslin** - a fine cotton fabric from Bengal, named for Mosul, the city in Iraq where European traders encountered it in the 1600s. 12. **America** - based on a 15th Century Italian explorer and navigator Amerigo Vespucci, who wrote a series of books (or pamphlets) describing an unknowwn continent he called a “New World.” Subsequent cartographers chose Vespucci’s name, Latinizing it as “America.” There is speculation that Vespucci never made those voyages, and Vespucci himself was unaware of the cartographers’ connotations. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093/9180 "2026-02-20T20:31:06Z")
1. **Ferris Wheel** - named for its inventor, George Washington Ferris. **Comic strip pets** 1. Ludwig, cat, Arlo & Janis [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093.md?page=458) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baker-s-dozen-iii/970093.md?page=460)