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Thread: What is wrong with the name Patrick McDevitt

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    watermark is offline Newbie
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    Default What is wrong with the name Patrick McDevitt

    In her book Eat Pray and Love, Elizabeth Gilbert says

    "Luca Spaghetti is a good friend of my buddy Patrick McDevitt, whom I know from my college days. And that is honestly his name, I swear to God, I'm not making it up. It's too crazy. I mean--just think of it. Imagine going through life with a name like Patrick McDevitt?"

    Is it because McDevitt a truck brand name?
    Michael84 likes this.

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    Default Re: What is wrong with the name Patrick McDevitt

    Quote Originally Posted by watermark View Post
    In her book Eat Pray and Love, Elizabeth Gilbert says

    "Luca Spaghetti is a good friend of my buddy Patrick McDevitt, whom I know from my college days. And that is honestly his name, I swear to God, I'm not making it up. It's too crazy. I mean--just think of it. Imagine going through life with a name like Patrick McDevitt?"

    Is it because McDevitt a truck brand name?
    I think it's meant to be ironic. Luca Spaghetti is the crazy name, and you're supposed to think that that's what she's talking about. It's only when you get to the end of the sentence that you realise she's talking about McDevitt. The humour is meant to be that she thinks McDevitt is a funny name, while she doesn't think that Spaghetti is.
    (At least that's my reading).

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    Default Re: What is wrong with the name Patrick McDevitt

    It's a better guess than mine, Ray, which was "I have no idea!"

    I didn't read the book. People I know who read it were in two camps: Life-changing, amazing, spirtual must-read OR utterly self-serving crap that has stolen time from my life reading that I'll never get back.
    riquecohen and Hedwig like this.
    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

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