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Claim: Nylon was named for a conflation of 'New York' and 'London.'
Example: [Collected on the Internet, 1992]
Origins: Nylon (polyhexamethyleneadipamide) was invented in 1935 by an organic chemist under contract to 
success. He discovered when liquid polymers were blown through ultrathin nozzles they quickly solidified in resilient fibers thinner than human hair.
Inventing it was only half the problem; what to call it was the other half. Carothers referred to his brainchild as Carothers patented his discovery in 1937. Shortly afterwards, chronic depression led him to take his own life by drinking cyanide. An odd bit of lore asserts that the name came from the conflation of New York (NY) and London (Lon), the two cities the product was launched in. Though that's neat pop etymology, it doesn't fit the facts. Nylon stockings hit the market in 1939, after being introduced at the New York World's Fair. London did not play any part in nylon's Equally spurious is the claim the fibre was named for an acronym formed from "Now You've Lost, Old Nippon," supposedly a thumbing of the nose at Japan over the presumed loss of a market for their silk due to its replacement by synthetic fibres. Nylon stockings were originally touted at "strong as steel and delicate as a spider's web." Compared to traditional silk stockings, they were certainly all that. Ah, but familiarity breeds contempt: in no time at all women were treating them with a careless disregard they would never have presumed to adopt with their silk leggings, and newfangled nylons quickly proved no match for ordinary wear and tear. These days, nylon is used in a number of products, including tents, ropes, and outerwear. It is telling, however, that we still refer to ladies' stockings as nylons. Barbara "laddered hose" Mikkelson Last updated: 10 October 2006 Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2009 by snopes.com. This material may not be reproduced without permission. snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.  Sources:
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