The Only Letter to Become President

hew!  Figaro just added a favicon to his new book-promotion website, WordHero.org. That’s the little picture you see accompanying a website URL or browser tab.  The word means “favorites icon,” which makes it a portmanteau—a figure that combines two words to make a new one. “Icon” comes from the Greek eikon, literally meaning “image.” In ancient Greece, an icon was a symbol: a picture that stood for something else. So favicon makes doubled sense. 

But wait, there’s more. “W” is itself a portmanteau: a double-U. It comes from the Middle English, when the “wuh” sound was representated with a pair of U’s. (The letter itself is a diagraph, a symbol made out of two symbols.)

We hope our “W” becomes iconic.  But don’t worry, Figarists. Our blog will continue as long as there are figures on God’s figuratively green Earth.

Comments

[Sadana Forly]

Loved your post but didn't understand the title. President?

[Figaro]

George W. Bush, aka "Dubya," was both the 43rd president and the 23rd letter of the alphabet.

[John Ashton]

Can't wait for your next book, Fig. I mean, I literally can't wait. Why are you announcing it so many months before its publication date?

[Figaro]

Good question, John. I was planning to wait until late summer, but Random House put out a flier for an annual spring gathering of communications professors. They put a QR code on the flier and needed a URL for it. So I put up a bare-bones WordHero.org, with plans to enrich it in the months to come.

[Fred E. Miller]

It all adds to your communications and branding, doesn't it.

Thanks for the Post!

[Figaro]

It does indeed, Fred.