These days, SPAM has two meanings - unwanted e-mail and a tinned food that purports to be made of meat.

Any ideas where the title came from as a name for tinned meat?
Any idea why the name was transferred to e-mail nuisances?

On the first, my dear wife has suggested that it is war-time code name for Small Particles of Atrocious Meat, which sounds good - too good to be true, unfortunately.

Also, what about the Cartesian connection embodied in the well know dictum, "I'm pink, therefore I'm Spam."

Rhub, another thread discussed this less than a month ago. However, it obviously wasn't called "Spam", because I couldn't find it quickly.

SPAM was a brand-name. Perhaps tsuwm ... ?

>SPAM was a brand-name. Perhaps tsuwm ... ?

loathe as I am to be convicted(!) to post... [hi Jackie!]

SPicy hAM *is* produced in Austin, Minnesota (just down the road from me).

http://www.spam.com/sp.htm

Seems to me that Spam was the invention of the Hormel Co. (meatpackers) around/during WWII. We need someone in Hawaii for input -- I understand it's very popular there and the highest per capita consumption state in USA. At the risk of sounding low class, I have to confess a fondness for a fried Spam sandwich (with mustard on ordinary white bread), but never can eat it because it's unbelievably high in sodium, which I'm not allowed.

http://www.wordsmith.org/board/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=wordplay&Number=8358&page=&view=&sb=&vc=1#Post8358

Here is the Spam thread.

try this one as well, from our very own fearless leader. see september 12 AND sept 15


http://www.wordsmith.org:80/awad/archives/0900