Technology billionaire Elon Musk, 48, and singer Grimes, 32, welcomed a healthy baby boy this week.
And the entrepreneur got the world talking when he revealed the name of their baby in a tweet, the somewhat unusual choice of X Æ A-12.
When Musk tweeted, "Mom & baby all good," a fan replied saying: "We need the name we literally need it".
Musk then quickly responded, saying: "X Æ A-12 Musk". It was here that he also confirmed he had welcomed a son.
How to pronounce X Æ A-12
Both parents have since taken to social media to clear up the mass confusion over how to pronounce their son's name, although it seems they each have slightly different ideas.
New mum, Grimes explained X as "the unknown variable" and the choice of Æ to honour the "elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)".
She added that "A-12 [is the] precursor to SR-17 (our favourite aircraft). No weapons, no defences, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent" and said that the A is for Archangel, her "favourite song".
Given Grimes's explanation, baby X Æ A-12's name would be pronounced "Zai-ah", like the name Isaiah without the first syllable.
Musk has since added an interpretation of his own, explaining to podcast presenter Joe Rogan, "it is X, the letter X. The A E [Æ] is pronounced 'Ash' ... and then A-12 is my contribution [for] Archangel-12 the precursor to the SR-71, the coolest plane ever."
"My partner is the one who actually mostly came up with the name," he said. "She is great at names."
Given that each parent seems to have a different interpretation of the name, it's no surprise that many people on the internet also have varying ideas of how it might be pronounced.
Redditor NewFolgers, went into more detail, writing: "The name for the ligature Æ is 'ash' ... so in the name, it may be pronounced that way.
"The Lockheed A-12 was part of the Archangel internal design effort ... So maybe they're thinking: X Ash Archangel Musk".
Others have suggested that the X with the Æ [Ash] and A could be pronounced Sasha, making the baby Sasha Musk.
There is also the possibility, looking to Middle English, that the Æ will simply have an 'eh' pronunciation, if you take the example of King Æthelstan, which is pronounced Ethelstan. In that case, baby Musk's name would be more like 'Xea', pronounced 'Zey-ah'.
Musk is already father to five sons, Damian, Griffin, Xavier, Saxon and Kai from his first marriage to Justine Wilson. The couple lost their first child, a boy named Nevada, to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in 2000.
With baby X Æ A-12, there is a clear influence from Grimes, whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, and who has a song called 4ÆM on her 2019 album, Miss Anthropocene.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
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