Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘English language’

What’s In A Name?

Ms. Publicist: Way past the fifteenth of the month so we’re overdue for What’s In A Name – where Spencer Quinn discusses a character name from the Chet and Bernie series. Spence, what about Nixon Panero, the auto mechanic who keeps those old beat-up Porsches on the road?

Spencer Quinn: And at some point in the past was busted by Chet and Bernie. First, I liked the contrast between prename and surname, two cultures coming uncomfortably together. I liked the sound, too – the blunt Anglo-Saxon Nixon with the melodic Latin-derived Panero.

Ms. P: You could have chosen many blunt Anglo-Saxon names. Why Nixon?

SQ: I believe it’s in A Fistful of Collars where Bernie guesses that Nixon was not exactly a wanted child.

Ms. P: Thanks, Spence! See you next month!