M[ou]'?am+[ae]r .*([AEae]l[- ])?[GKQ]h?[aeu]+([dtz][dhz]?)+af[iy].

[Scott Anderson]

It has been a while since the bombing of Libya, but I'm sure you
all remember the confusion when nobody could figure out who it was
that the others were talking about. You were probably thinking,
"Who are all of those nasty guys?". Well, rest assured that there
is only one of him. As related by Cecil Adams, the Library of
Congress lists 32 variant spellings of his name:

1) Muammar Qaddafi
2) Mo'ammar Gadhafi
3) Muammar Kaddafi
4) Muammar Qadhafi
5) Moammar El Kadhafi
6) Muammar Gadafi
7) Mu'ammar al-Qadafi
8) Moamer El Kazzafi
9) Moamar al-Gaddafi
10) Mu'ammar Al Qathafi
11) Muammar Al Qathafi
12) Mo'ammar el-Gadhafi
13) Moamar El Kadhafi
14) Muammar al-Qadhafi
15) Mu'ammar al-Qadhdhafi
16) Mu'ammar Qadafi
17) Moamar Gaddafi
18) Mu'ammar Qadhdhafi
19) Muammar Khaddafi
20) Muammar al-Khaddafi
21) Mu'amar al-Kadafi
22) Muammar Ghaddafy
23) Muammar Ghadafi
24) Muammar Ghaddafi
25) Muamar Kaddafi
26) Muammar Quathafi
27) Muammar Gheddafi
28) Muamar Al-Kaddafi
29) Moammar Khadafy
30) Moammar Qudhafi
31) Mu'ammar al-Qaddafi
32) Mulazim Awwal Mu'ammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi

The Library uses the first one as its standardized form (for some
arbitrary reason--more than likely because it's first). Cecil has
suggested that we use something short and simple, like Duckbreath.
I'm rather fond of #32, myself.

BTW, that abomination on the Subject: line really does match all of
these names. Will the wonders of egrep never cease?
--

*
* * Scott Anderson
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