Spam is what you make of it...

IF, LIKE me, you’re a sucker for quiz trivia, then you probably already know the purported origin of the word “spam” to describe unwanted and repetitive emails.

But in case you don’t, then it’s essential you first acquaint yourself with a classic TV comedy show called Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

This had a sketch in which a cafe proprietor recites menu options mostly made up of ubiquitous luncheon meat. She is accompanied by a musical chorus of patrons dressed in Viking garb singing “spam, spam, spam”. (I never said it was a funny show).

Anyway, it seems that back in the 1990s, a legal firm in the States decided to advertise its services on what was a clunky forerunner of today’s internet forums.

In those days, most of the message boards were unmoderated and the advert multiplied relentlessly through repetition.

The guys who managed the networks – and who were Python fans – spontaneously dubbed the unwanted and tedious notices as “spam” and the name stuck.

Well, that’s the story – and no-one seems to have a better one.

Pass it on.