Etymology and Origins
The character of the Atom (Al Pratt) would seem to be influenced heavily by the life story of Joe Greenstein, a Coney Island Polish strongman known professionally as "the Mighty Atom". Both the real-life Greenstein (at 5' 4" and 140 pounds) and the fictional Al Pratt were unusually short and had self-trained at boxing and bodybuilding to overcome poor health during childhood.
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“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
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