This is a continuously updated list of paronomasia or interesting acronyms, or word plays in general, that can be used as titles of papers, books, punchlines in presentations, names of products, etc.

In rare circumstances where these items are actually used, please give me (and coauthors) some credit ;)

  • Fast and Fourier’s
    • Origin: A hybrid between the movie franchise Fast and Furious and the algorithm Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).
    • Possible scenario: For papers, new techniques, libraries or algorithms on Fourier transforms; alternatively, may also be used for denoting efficient thermal instruments (using another field where Fourier has important contributions).
    • Author: J Min, V Giraud, D Tolmachev
  • Music of the Rotating Sphere
    • Origin: Modified from Coldplay’s album Music of the Spheres
    • Possible scenario: For research works on fluid dynamics in a rotating sphere, especially those concerned with eigenmodes and/or resonances.
    • Author: J Min
  • AquaM-EN/AquaMEN: Aquatic Model of Earthquake Nucleation
    • Origin: Modified from DC Comic’s Aquaman.
    • Possible scenario: For research works on simulation of earthquake nucleation associated with fluid/water effects. Ideally, the works should involve earthquake nucleation in marine or water environment, but this scenario seems highly unlikely. Therefore, multi-phase flows that involve fluid phases should also count.
    • Author: J Min
  • Poly Cow
    • Origin: Modified from the Swiss burger restaurant Holy Cow. Amazingly, I always thought this was just a one-store restaurant on Zähringerstrasse, but it turned out to be a chain.
    • Possible scenario: establishing a burger place in or very close to ETH zentrum campus, e.g. on the same floor with bQm, Einstein Zweistein. May however be sued by Holy Cow.
    • Author: J Min


The Poly Franchise

  • Origin: from the pre-existing names of ETH facilities/events containing “poly” (e.g. Polyterrasse, Polybahn, Polymesse, Polyball, etc.). Meant to be used in a similar way as the prefix “Mc”.
  • PolySchnitzel: Schnitzel, preferably on a stick. Can also be used to name a Schnitzel truck that offers Schnitzels on sticks.
  • PolyNuggests: Nuggets.
  • PolyChicken: Chicken.
  • PolyFish: Fish.
  • Big Poly: Supposed to be a big hamburger, but we already have Poly Cow for the burger series?
  • Author: EPM group