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Can Anyone Remember What Words Originally Created the "SPAM" Acronym?

Posted on 11/13/2002 6:35:41 PM PST by SierraWasp

This is a test of the institutional memory of FReeperdom.

My query is first about the tasty canned meat, but also to learn if the current common slang regarding undesirable e-mail is in anyway related, or if that term has it's own independent basis in origination.


TOPICS: Free Republic; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: acronym; freepun; ilikecheese; spam
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To: Bush2000

21 posted on 11/13/2002 6:54:36 PM PST by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: SierraWasp
-1937 : SPAM is created at Hormel's home in Austin, MN. It was originally called HORMEL Spiced Ham, until an enterprising young person dreamed up the name SPAM by combining the "SP" from Spiced with the "AM" from Ham. They won $100 for their idea. (source: http://www.holmen.k12.wi.us/drkulas/wsWinter2001/web2q/history.html)
22 posted on 11/13/2002 6:56:21 PM PST by dano1
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To: Arkinsaw
Cheese - allegedly comes from "would you like some cheese with that whine".

No. It comes from OWK's proclivity to post "I like cheese" on inane vanity threads.

23 posted on 11/13/2002 6:56:22 PM PST by Senator Pardek
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To: SierraWasp
The Spam Sketch
 
As featured in the Flying Circus TV Show - Episode 25
 
---------------

About the sketch:

This sketch Not only appeared in the Flying Circus TV Show - Episode 25, it was also performed on their albums, 'Another Monty Python Record', 'Monty Python's The Final Ripoff', and 'Lust for Glory'.

---------------

The cast:

MAN
Eric Idle
WIFE
Graham Chapman
WAITRESS
Terry Jones

---------------

The sketch:

Scene: A cafe. One table is occupied by a group of Vikings with horned helmets on. A man and his wife enter.

Man: You sit here, dear.

Wife: All right.

Man: (to Waitress) Morning!

Waitress: Morning!

Man: Well, what've you got?

Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam;

Vikings: (starting to chant) Spam spam spam spam...

Waitress: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam...

Vikings: (singing) Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!

Waitress: ...or Lobster Thermidor au Crevettes with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.

Wife: Have you got anything without spam?

Waitress: Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.

Wife: I don't want ANY spam!

Man: Why can't she have egg bacon spam and sausage?

Wife: THAT'S got spam in it!

Man: Hasn't got as much spam in it as spam egg sausage and spam, has it?

Vikings: Spam spam spam spam (crescendo through next few lines)

Wife: Could you do the egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam then?

Waitress: Urgghh!

Wife: What do you mean 'Urgghh'? I don't like spam!

Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!

Waitress: Shut up!

Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!

Waitress: Shut up! (Vikings stop) Bloody Vikings! You can't have egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam.

Wife: (shrieks) I don't like spam!

Man: Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam spam spam spam spam spam spam beaked beans spam spam spam and spam!

Vikings: (singing) Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!

Waitress: Shut up!! Baked beans are off.

Man: Well could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then?

Waitress: You mean spam spam spam spam spam spam... (but it is too late and the Vikings drown her words)

Vikings: (singing elaborately) Spam, spam, spam, spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spaaam! Lovely spam! Wonderful spam. Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am! Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am! Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am! Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am! Lovely spam! (Lovely spam!) Lovely spam! (Lovely spam!) Lovely spaaam! Spam, spam, spam, spaaaaam!


24 posted on 11/13/2002 6:56:58 PM PST by Cicero
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To: SierraWasp
http://spam.com/
From spam site time line, contest in 1937 awarded 100$ to the person who combined sp from spice with am from ham.
25 posted on 11/13/2002 6:57:02 PM PST by Slicksadick
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To: mykdsmom; billbears; Overtaxed; wimpycat; freepy smurf
*
26 posted on 11/13/2002 6:59:48 PM PST by Constitution Day
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To: SierraWasp
http://www.ironworks.com/comedy/python/spam.wav
27 posted on 11/13/2002 7:01:00 PM PST by Fzob
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To: SierraWasp
Stuff Posing As Meat
28 posted on 11/13/2002 7:01:54 PM PST by sweetliberty
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To: SierraWasp
You need to check Spam.com (but don't blame it on me)
29 posted on 11/13/2002 7:02:11 PM PST by tubebender
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To: PJ-Comix
When I was in Norway for Cold Weather Training (USMC), for almost two weeks straight our menu consisted of powered eggs and spam for breakfast, spam sandwiches for lunch and spam loaf for dinner.

I have never eaten spam since and I refuse to let that crap in my house!
30 posted on 11/13/2002 7:05:35 PM PST by dpa5923
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To: SierraWasp
"I still have questions about the FReeper usage of "cheese" and other mysterious lexicon"


31 posted on 11/13/2002 7:07:13 PM PST by sweetliberty
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To: SierraWasp
I guess you got your answer - SPiced hAM, AKA Specially Processed Army Meat, from WWII.

It was, in fact, _the_ staple of WWII for much of the world, and hence the Hawaian fascination with it.

I'll tell you what is gross, though - sitting in a foxhole in 1981, and noticing that the "use-by" date on one's half-eaten lunch is 1946.

32 posted on 11/13/2002 7:12:00 PM PST by patton
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To: SierraWasp
Shoulder, Pork and Ham. Shortened to spam.
33 posted on 11/13/2002 7:12:37 PM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: Arkinsaw; MarkL; Tokhtamish; Cicero
The Infamous Monty Python Spam Skit!
34 posted on 11/13/2002 7:14:26 PM PST by mdittmar
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To: SierraWasp
I suspect the SPiced hAM explanation is the correct one. However, during the "1940 House" program on PBS last week, at one point they had the grocer explaining to the ladies that when they first started getting shippments of the stuff, they thought it meant Specially Processed American Meat.

I also read somewhere that during the difficult days of food shortages during the war, some British wag remarked that if spiced ham was SPAM, then that must mean that Dried Eggs were DREGS.

35 posted on 11/13/2002 7:14:33 PM PST by Stefan Stackhouse
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To: Cicero
SPAM!
36 posted on 11/13/2002 7:26:06 PM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts
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To: Stefan Stackhouse; All
"However, during the "1940 House" program on PBS last week, at one point they had the grocer explaining to the ladies that when they first started getting shippments of the stuff, they thought it meant Specially Processed American Meat."

Bravo!!! Mrs. Wasp is the one that got me goin on this. She was tellin me that it was "Specially Prepared American Meat." Tonite I asked her where she got her info from and she said she seen a PBS program on WW2 and that's what they said it was.

All you FReepers have really got this Wasp's head a buzzin with alla this here information.

37 posted on 11/13/2002 7:30:17 PM PST by SierraWasp
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts
I always thought it was a derivation of the smap / smapd which is, according to UNIX Manual pages:

smapd - SMTP proxy (server portion) (SMTP =Simple Mail Tranfer Protocol)

The Firewall Toolkit smapd proxy is an application level proxy that provides configurable access control and logging mechanisms. The smap client proxy together with the smapd server proxy, which run on the firewall, transfer mail between internal and external mail servers, using rules you supply.

All packets, and therefore all application requests go to the firewall. On the firewall, the smap and smapd proxy software relay information from one side of the firewall to the other. They prevent versions of sendmail on the exter- nal network from talking with versions of sendmail on the internal network, and vice versa. No IP packets pass from one side of the firewall to the other. All data is passed at the application level.

The server portion of the SMTP proxy (smapd) generally runs as a daemon (invoked from /etc/rc.local). Periodically, based on a configurable value (by default every 60 seconds), the server daemon (smapd) wakes up and checks to see if there is any new mail that the SMTP client proxy (smap) has placed in the spool directory. The smapd daemon checks the headers of the mail for formatting problems. It then calls the configured message transfer agent (usually sendmail in delivery mode) for final delivery.

38 posted on 11/13/2002 7:41:21 PM PST by freethinkingman
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To: freethinkingman; cardinal4
I heard that it meant "Specially Processed Animal Meat." Works for me.
39 posted on 11/13/2002 7:48:22 PM PST by Ax
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To: ArcLight
"People who've never seen the Monty Python routine now use the word while cursing their overstuffed e-mail boxes."

LOL, this is soooo true, in fact, this word is probably so well established as a word now that it will be used for a very, very long time. By millions of people who have never even heard, or will hear of Monty Python! This is great, this is their legacy to history! No more of this I'm not worthy, forgive me this, forgive me that! Tee-hee, I feel better, I want to go for a walk! No more buttered scones for me, Mater, I'm off to play the Grand Piano!

40 posted on 11/13/2002 7:52:19 PM PST by jocon307
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