Word: cognomen
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Crusty Barons. It took some doing. When first elected in 1962, Ted's sole assets seemed to be a princely phiz and a kingly cognomen. He was only 30, and his political experience was virtually nil. As a dynast in democratic guise, Ted was vulnerable as were few other freshmen to rough handling from both his seniors and the press...
...Italian, his name means "golden apple," or more commonly, "tomato." But his cognomen, insists Arnaldo Pomodoro, has nothing to do with the fact that he has grown famous sculpting massive spheres cast in polished bronze (opposite). Rather, he is a kind of dissatisfied Aristotelian, seeking the true nature of form inside matter. "For me," he says, "the sphere is a perfect, almost magical form. Then you try to break the surface, go inside and give life to the form...
When the parallels are as obvious as this, the plays are naturally entertaining. But true dramatic parody needs more than an occasional gesture, a ludicrous cognomen, or a familiar setting. It requires clever, outrageous dialogue, and in this respect the plays achieve only fitful distinction...