To Burgess
My brother Chris sent me a link to an entry on the Web site Urban Dictionary for the word Burgess. On the site there are two definitively different definitions for our last name:
1. BurgessA person who has particularly rank body odor or to be generally socially unacceptable.
Examples:
"Wow that dead guy really smells like Burgess"
"This van smells like Burgess"2. Burgess
A work of fiction that is more similar to the effects of LSD than it is to real life.
Examples:
"Did you see that new movie....its so burgess!"
"I am so freaked by those burgess images in that film!"
I've never actually heard either of these in common usage, but as you can probably guess, I'm much more fond of the second one. It most likely has to do with one of the cooler Burgesses in history, (excluding Burgess Meredith since it's his first name) Anthony Burgess who, among other things, wrote the classic "Clockwork Orange".
The ranking system for the Urban Dictionary works on consensus and so far the two definitions posted there covering the less flattering definition have a combined total of 49 "thumbs up" votes and 30 "thumbs down" votes (the majority of which I'm guessing are other Burgesses or Burgess sympathizers). The more favorable definition relating to the late author has only one vote either way. (Note to other Burgesses: We need to get on this problem, Burgesses unite!)
In this case I feel somewhat like the Michael Bolton character from the movie "Office Space" who found that his name perfectly acceptable and "there was nothing wrong with it...until I was about 12 years old" when the same-named performer became popular and everyone began associating the two.
I'm guessing there was just one unpleasant Burgess who ruined it for the rest of us.