I’m reading the forward to this book entitled “Namesakes: an entertaining guide to the origins of more than 300 words named after people” by Tad Tuleja. (Good reference book of brainless trivia.)
His original list of words was quite long and had to cut out a variety of them to make the book possible. He decided to delete words regarding war/history, such as **War of Jenkin’s Ear **
I have never heard this eponym. My meager search has turned up fruitless ( and vegetabless).
End my misery.
The War of Jenkins Ear took place 1739-1742, but the origins were several years earlier.
Robert Jenkins was a British sea captain. In 1731, his ship was captured by Spaniards, who accused him of smuggling and cut off his ear. Not much happened then, but eight years later, he showed his ear (kept in an ornate box) to Parliament. It created a sensation and England was soon at war with Spain.
Thank you Reality Chuck!
Easy. I went to http://www.google.com/ dropped in,
“Jenkins Ear” got numerous answers:
http://www.usahistory.com/wars/jenkins.htm
The war took its name from Robert Jenkins, captain of the ship
Rebecca, who claimed Spanish coast guards had cut off his ear in 1731. He exhibited the ear in the House of Commons and so
arroused public opinion that the government of the British Prime Minister Robert Walpole reluctantly declared war on Oct. 23,
1739. Basically, the war was one of commercialrivalry between England and Spain.
[note: Copyrighted article redacted. -manhattan]
[Edited by manhattan on 02-28-2001 at 12:12 PM]