<p>When I was a little kid I was half-fascinated, half-repulsed by the Fantastic Four character Johnny Storm, aka "the Human Torch." When he said "flame on!" he would light up like a six-foot-tall match.</p>
<p>For years whenever I encountered the word "flame" I would think of the Human Torch. These days, unfortunately, the word "flame" now brings to mind "flamer," as in "hate mail," as in "Human Gorks" ("geek" + "dork").</p>