The significance of first names in HP books.

[rcraigharman at hotmail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 27874

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Amy Z" <aiz24 at h...> wrote:
> 
> Cezar (welcome!), what does Verpey mean, if anything?

The name is a homonymic spelling of the acronym V.R.P., pronounced
"vay-air-pay", meaning "voyageur réprésentant placier".

A "bagman" in English has the double sense of a salesman who travels
to call on customers as well as a racketeer assigned to collect or
distribute payoff money.  [Source: dictionary.com] 

V.R.P. captures the sense of traveling salesman.  Per le Petit
Larousse 1994, a V.R.P. is an "Intermédiaire du commerce qui
prospecte la clientèle et reeçoit les commandes pour le compte d'une
ou plusieurs entreprises".  ["A commercial middleman who canvasses
customers and receives orders for one or more firms."]

....Craig