BROADCASTS.com

How Did the Jeep Get Its Name?

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Brie: Hey, Andrea, the new year is right around the corner! I’m thinking about buying a new car since it’s the season when they go on sale.  Although I’m attached to my current car for sentimental reasons, I see now that it’s time to say goodbye. 

Andrea: Good idea, Brie.  You’ve probably been driving that same car for at least ten years now.  It’s definitely time to get a newer and more reliable car for the winter! Do you have any specific car models on your mind that you’d like to look at?

Brie: Well, I’m torn between the Jeep Cherokee and the Toyota RAV4 at the moment.  I like that they are both charming, small SUVs.  Jeep is an American brand and well-known for its off-roading capabilities, while the Toyota RAV4 , a popular Japanese car, just got redesigned last year.

Andrea: It sounds like you have a tough choice to make!  Buying a car is a major expense, and you should definitely consider all factors before making the final decision! I think a Jeep is a nice vehicle.   Hmm...have you ever wondered where the name “Jeep” comes from?

Brie:  I’ve never thought about it before. Well, a lot of automobile manufacturers name their brands after the names of their founders.  There’s Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Buick, Honda, and Toyota.  But I’m pretty sure there was no founder named Jeep.  I have heard that the term was used in the US military in World War I as slang to refer to untested vehicles and newly enlisted soldiers.  Could that be the origin of its name, since Jeep vehicles were used in the military?

Andrea:  You’re on the right track, Brie.  Although no one really knows where the name for the car came from, there are some interesting explanations. So, I’d say that how the name for the car Jeep came to be is actually quite a fun fact!  

Brie:  Alright, Andrea, let’s hear your theory for how the name came to be. I’m all ears!

Andrea:  Okay, well, the Ford company created the first Jeep vehicle in 1940 for use in the US military and called it a GP. That’s the letter G combined with the letter P.  Some people believe GP stood for “Government Pygmy”, while others think that GP was an abbreviation for “General Purpose”.  Either way, the acronym GP sounds a lot like the word we know today as Jeep. 

Brie: 福特在1940年制造了第一辆用于美国军事的吉普车，并将其称为GP。有一些人认为GP 是“Government Pygmy”的缩写，而另一些人则认为GP是“ General Purpose”通用的缩写。 无论哪种方式，首字母缩写GP听起来很像我们今天所熟知的吉普（Jeep）这个词。 But government Pygmy? What does that mean? It sounds strange.

Andrea:  I’m not sure, and it sounds weird to me too. But pygmy refers to a plant, animal, or human that is short in stature, so maybe it was originally a joke referring to how light and compact the government vehicles appeared to be.

Brie: I see, government pygmy 是对政府车辆中轻巧紧凑车型的一个戏谑称呼。Are there any other theories about the origin of the name of the Jeep vehicle?

Andrea: Well, a Jeep is a vehicle that drives well over rough terrain.  So, some people believe that the Jeep was named after Eugene the Jeep, a character from the popular newspaper comic strip Thimble Theatre that is now known as Popeye the Sailor. In the comic, Popeye had a magical pet that he called Eugene the Jeep who was known to be able to “go anywhere and do anything”, a motto that Ford used in its Jeep commercials.

Brie:  有些人认为吉普车是以一个颇受欢迎的报纸连环漫画《顶针剧院》，如今被称为《大力士水手》里的角色尤金尼吉普的名字来命名的。在漫画中，尤金尼吉普是大力水手养的一只神奇宠物。它因无所不在，无所不能而出名。福特甚至在其吉普车的广告中使用了这一格言 “go anywhere and do anything”。 So since the car company wanted the Jeep to be viewed as a strong, can-do-anything vehicle, it was named after a famous comic strip character that had the same qualities.

Andrea: That’s right!  Okay, Brie, which theory about how the name Jeep came to be is the correct one in your opinion?

Brie: I’d say it’s the simplest reason.  It was probably called GP or general purpose because it was a vehicle that could be used for all purposes.   I’m sure about it, and I don’t want to argue this topic any further.

Andrea: Well you’re really driving your point home.  What your saying is that it’s your way or the highway!

Brie: That’s right!   For now you have no other choice than to agree with me because I’m leaving to go buy my Jeep!

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Sentimental  / ˌsɛn təˈmɛn tl /  感伤的

Reliable  / rɪˈlaɪ ə bəl /  可靠的

SUV  / ˈɛs ˈyu ˈvi /  越野车

Off-roading  / ɔf roʊdɪŋ / 越野

Capability  / ˌkeɪ pəˈbɪl ɪ ti /  能力

Automobile  / ˌɔ təˈmoʊ bil /  汽车

Manufacturer  / ˌmæn yəˈfæk tʃər ər /  制造商

Slang  / slæŋ /  俚语

Enlist  / ɛnˈlɪst /  入伍

Pygmy  / ˈpɪg mi /  侏儒

Abbreviation  / əˌbri viˈeɪ ʃən /  缩写

Acronym  / ˈæk rə nɪm /  首字母缩写

Stature  / ˈstætʃ ər /  身高

Comic strip  / ˈkɒm ɪk ˌstrɪp /  连环漫画

Thimble Theatre  《顶针剧院》，如今被称为《大力士水手》的连环漫画

Popeye the Sailor 大力士水手波比

Eugene the Jeep《大力士水手》连环画中一个既象猫又象狗的卡通动物，它的叫声是“Jeep, Jeep",因而被叫作"尤金尼吉普"(Eugene the Jeep)

Motto  / ˈmɒt oʊ /  座右铭

Phrases:

Around the corner  即将来临

Torn between (something)  难以取舍的

On the right track  做法對路；方法得當.

Drive (something) home  对某事态度明确，立场坚定

(Someone’s) way or the highway  用来形容别无他选，要么听某人的，要么就走人

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们，请别忘了点击订阅！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: Brandon Green on Unsplash

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg