How does this name sound?

[snorkackcatcher]

A little while back I asked for suggestions for a new surname for Cassius Scrimgeour in NTLJ, and the consensus seemed to be to pick a random name of a minor character.

Well, after a perusal of the Lexicon wizarding Who's Who, the one I rather like the sound of is "Smethwyck", under which name there are three people listed: Elliot Smethwyck, who created the Cushioning Charm in 1820 (QTTA); Hippocrates Smethwyck, Healer-in-Charge on the Dai Llewellyn ward when Arthur was there (OotP); and Leopoldina Smethwyck (1829 - 1910), the first British witch to referee a Quidditch match (FW card).

This information fits nicely in several ways. The listed Smethwycks cover a good time period, and can therefore be considered likely to be an old, well-known wizarding family (the place "Smethwick", now part of Birmingham, is also old and goes back to Saxon times). They seem to run to odd and/or classical first names, which was a point of sympathy between Tonks and Cassius. They appear to have a Quidditch background, which allows me an alternative source of World Cup tickets for Cassius (currently supplied by Brutus Scrimgeour of The Beater's Bible fame). They don't have any canon dark wizards or prominent canon characters in the family. And finally, the name "Smethwyck" has the same sort of old-family feel as "Scrimgeour".

So how does "Cassius Smethwyck" sound? A few alternatives are given below, mostly taken from random sortees or Quidditch players, so if any of them sound better let me know. :)

(Slytherins) Cassius Baddock -- Cassius Greengrass -- Cassius Pritchard -- Cassius Urquhart -- Cassius Vaisey

(Ravenclaws) Cassius Bradley -- Cassius Carmichael -- Cassius Chambers -- Cassius Entwhistle

(Hufflepuffs) Cassius Branstone -- Cassius Cadwallader -- Cassius Cauldwell -- Cassius Madley -- Cassius Summerby -- Cassius Summers

(Not known) Cassius Aubrey


Lyrics: The last one (spotted by fan ladybracknell) was of course In The Ghetto, a hit in 1969 for a singer called Elvis Presley. ;) So in reference to my somewhat less than enthusiastic comment last time, how about a single from the album I was referring to:

Laugh when he jokes, slap him when he chokes
It's time to give up the smokes
And oh when he cries don't wipe his eyes
Take the wine from the swine and remind him of his crimes
Oh in another world, yeah he could wear a dress ... (1990s)

Comments

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth? I like it. Maggie

[snorkackcatcher]

Thanks!

[tree_and_leaf]

I think it works, too, and better that most of the laternatives (many of which I wouldn't have identified as names associated with wizarding families)

I find I particularly dislike 'Cassius Urqhuart, though I can't decide whether that's because I genuinely find that it sounds unpleasant (I'm not sure about the two u's following each other so losely) or if it's just that I have two unpleasant fictional associations with the name.†

Apologies to any real Urquarts out there. Am I being unreasonable? You may think so, but I couldn't possibly comment.

† Both of whom were Slytherin to the bone, admittedly.

[snorkackcatcher]

The others are mostly just random students. And yes, I was thinking of that for Urquhart too! (Who was the other one? I went a-Googling but couldn't spot anything.)

[tree_and_leaf]

There's a rather unpleasant Urquhart in Sayers' Strong Poison

[snorkackcatcher]

Ah, right. I really must go and read some Sayers -- I suppose I'd always put her down as just another "golden age" mystery author, probably nothing special, until several people on my flist whose opinions I respect talked them up. :)

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, you should give them a try -definitely more than just the standard Golden Age stuff (FWIW, I can't work up enthusiasm for Christie).

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

OK, I give up, who's the unpleasant Urquhart who isn't in Strong Poison?

[snorkackcatcher]

Probably a Brit thing -- he's a scheming and murderous politician called Francis Urquhart in three 1990s TV serials based on books by Michael Dobbs -- the first of which was called House of Cards. His plausible-deniability catchphrase when asked by a reporter to confirm some leak devastating to an opponent was "You might think that. I couldn't possibly comment ..."

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Cassius Smethwyck sounds good to me. I'm sure you can fit in all the other cassiusses around somewhere else.

[snorkackcatcher]

Cheers!

[jesspallas.livejournal.com]

I think that works on both a canon and a name sound level. I don't know why but the fact it starts with the same letter makes it easier to smooth the change - if that makes any sense at all! ;)

[snorkackcatcher]

That was another reason I liked it, so I'm glad it seems to make sense to someone else. :)

Incidentally, on the "name sound" I'd pronounce it with a silent "w" - "Smethick". Does that sound right to you, living in that area of the country?

[jesspallas.livejournal.com]

That how we pronounce it in these here parts. W ha! What w? ;p

[snorkackcatcher]

Good. Glad to see I still have some Midlander sensibilities! :) (I'm from Nottingham originally.)