Scrabble Names

The names of the eldest 4 kids of the Dutch couple

It may have been a few weeks since news broke about the Dutch couple with five kids, who all have four-letter names using the same four letters (Alex, Lexa, Axel, Xela & Xael), but it continues to remain at the forefront of my mind.

That said, it can get a little forced with an increased number of children. Below is just a selection of attempts at the conundrum by myself and those over at Formspring, with some combinations seeming to work better than others:

• Aidan: Nadia, Diana, Adian, Andia
• Alice: Celia, Lacie
• Amy: Mya, May
• Dolly: Lloyd, Dyoll, Doyll
• Eden: Dene, Ened, Nede, Need, Ende, Edne
• Enzo: Zeno, Nezo, Ezon, Onez
• Inez: Nezi, Enzi
• Jonah: Onjah, Johan, Johna
• Leah: Hale, Aleh, Elah, Hael
• Leia: Alie, Ilea
• Lena: Nela, Lane
• Leon: Elon, Noel, Nelo
• Leona: Elona, Enola, Laneo, Noela, Neola
• Lia: Ali, Lai, Ila
• Lucas: Claus, Lacus, Calus, Culas
• Lyra: Aryl, Lary, Raly, Alry, Ryla
• Mabel: Belma, Ambel, Embla, Melba
• Milo: Lomi, Moil, Ilmo, Moli, Imli
• Myra: Mary, Ramy, Amry
• Ria: Ira, Rai, Ari, Air
• Vera: Reva, Raev
• Zane: Neza, Ezna, Anez, Azne

Anyone have any further contributions?

Sibsets of the Week: The Baddiels & Loughs

from varsity.co.uk

It’s time for yet another one of those two for the price of one Sibset posts. There’s mostly nothing in common with the two families aside from having at least one famed parent, and of course both being based in Britain.

We start off in the area of comedy and football. If you visit Britain – specifically England – during the course of a major footballing (that’s soccer to the uninitiated) tournament, such as the World Cup, then you’ll more than likely hear the song Three Lions at least once. The song was first released in 1996 as the official anthem for that year’s European Championships and later re-released for the 1998 World Cup. The song is the only song to ever hit the #1 spot twice with different lyrics – first in 1996 and later in 1998.

The slight comedic element brought in by the two comedians who wrote the lyrics is reflected by the fact that the song does not speak of unbound optimism for victory, rather talking about the repeated failures since 1966. A line in the chorus sums up the song pretty well:

Three Lions on a shirt, Jules Rimet still gleaming. Thirty years of hurt, never stopped me dreaming

The name of the trophy England won in the 1966 World Cup was called the Jules Rimmet Trophy. When Brazil won the World Cup for the third time in 1970, they were granted the rights to keep the trophy indefinately. In 1983 the trophy was stolen and has never been seen since.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, today’s famous father is David Baddiel, who wrote the lyrics alongside comedy partner Frank Skinner – who recently announced that he’s expecting his first child this year. The mother is Morwenna Banks, also notable in her own right as an actress. Together they have two children:

Dolly Loveday

Ezra Beckett

As for our second family, it comes courtesy of famed athlete Paula Radcliffe. At the moment she holds the women’s world record for a marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours. In her career, she has also won the London Marathon three times, the New York Marathon twice and the Chicago Marathon once. In between all these accolades she’s managed to have two children with her husband Gary Lough, who is also her coach:

Isla

Raphael