Names and Nouns

I couldn’t help noticing, as the wickets were falling, that England’s first three batsmen had names that were also common one-syllable English words. Well, technically only Alastair Cook and Joe Root have such homographic surnames, as Jonathan Trott doubles the final letter.

It’s not just that they are short, common words, though, it’s that the words themselves are homographic, not just the names, and are common as both nouns and verbs. You can root for Cook, but you are unlikely to have the opportunity to cook for Root. And, alas, they all three went out at a trot—England are at pixel time 148 for four, having lost not only the three homographic wickets but also Kevin Pietersen. Who, by the way, goes by his initials, which constitute a noun as well.

I hope this doesn’t bode ill for their fifth batter, Ian Bell (12 not out)

Tolerabimus quod tolerare debemus,
-Vardibidian.