Spud, S-P-U-D, Society for Prevention of Unwholesome Diet

The humble potato was given its nickname, Spud, by the Society for Prevention of Unwholesome Diet in 1949. It goes back even before that, spuds reach back to the 15th century where a Spud was a small, sharp gardening tool for digging holes and digging up weeds. In the mid-19th century, people used the term Spud to mean potato, first recorded use, New Zealand, 1845. But also, Spud can mean a hole in a sock.