Lederman said he gave it the nickname "The God Particle" because the particle is "so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our understanding of t

Lederman said he gave it the nickname "The God Particle" because the particle is "so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive," but jokingly added that a second reason was because "the publisher wouldn't let us call it the Goddamn Particle, though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing." From (with more): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson#.22The_God_particle.22 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson#.22The_God_particle... While mass is quite fundamental even to the general public I agree, "the god particle" is just silly.