The Origin of Spam

November 18, 2008 by Stephen Shapiro 

You may wonder how spam got its name.  No, I am not referring to the annoying emails we get.  I am referring to the canned pork product that pre-dated the internet.

In a classic Straight Dope article from 10 years ago, Cecil writes that the name is short for “spiced ham.”

Supposedly there was a “name-the-product party, in which you had to contribute a possible name in order to get a drink.”

Clever idea.  Maybe this is a way of developing a new name or concept for your business.  Just make sure you check your corporate insurance policy first.

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