Bizarre Names: New Book Reveals Origins of Names like Bikini, Bluetooth, Neanderthal

Ever wondered how a two-piece swimsuit came to be known as a "bikini"? or the cave-dwelling early man a "Neanderthal"?

A new book by Martin Hannan named "From Harvey Wallbangers And Tam O'Shanters," unraveled the origins of some of the bizarre words and phrases that we encounter in our everyday life.

According to the book, the two-piece swimsuit takes its name from the Pacific atoll in the Marshall Islands which was the site of 23 nuclear weapons tests between 1946 and 1958. The bikini came out a few days after the first test and was said to be "split like the atom," the Sun reported.

Neanderthal, the cave-dwelling early man is named after the Neander valley in Germany where remains of the species were found in 1856.

The search for a name suggesting good communications by the Swedish mobile phone firm ended with Harald Bluetooth, who was the King of Denmark in the 10th century. He was considered responsible for spreading Christianity across Scandinavia by the historians.

Mount Everest was named in honour of Sir George Everest following a proposal by his successor Andrew Waugh, Surveyor General of India, who fixed the height of what was earlier known as Peak XV at 29,002 feet in 1856.

According to the book, America is actually named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian merchant from the 15th century, who proved the continent was much larger than originally thought and was not, as Columbus believed, Asia.

And, the word hooker derives from Corlears Hook area of Manhattan Island, U.S.A., where prostitutes worked, the book says.

The word Chauvinist came after Nicolas Chauvin, an alleged foot soldier in the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte who was famous for his blind loyalty to his country. The word is now used to describe someone who is sexist. It originally meant a person who was excessively patriotic.

"From Harvey Wallbangers And Tam O'Shanters" is priced at £9.99.