I was going to keep quiet about this one, but I find that I can't.  Sorry,
I'll take that bait:
 
Holly Trimper writes:
> And I suppose you refer to DAVE Letterman and President Clinton in full
>name as well, eh?
 
Leonardo was FROM Vinci.  In Italian, "da" means "of" or "from."  Da
Vinci was not part of his name.  It merely tells where he was from!
_Leonardo_ is his name!  That would be like referring to the President as
"Of Hope" or Letterman as "Of Indiana."  While Clinton may be its
most famous product, he is by no means the only one who came from Hope,
Arkansas.
 
I know it's petty, but the Italian Renaissance was my area of specialization,
and it's like nails on a chalkboard for me.
 
Please excuse my venting,
Erin McIntire
UCLA Extension, Visual Arts