
A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or thing's real name (for example, Nick is short for Nicholas). As a concept, it is distinct from both pseudonym and stage name, although there may be overlap in these concepts. A nickname is sometimes considered cool to have, symbolising a form of acceptance, but often times there is no need for a nickname Etymology: In Middle English the word was ''ekename'' (from the verb ''to eke'', "enlarge"; compare Swedish ''öknamn''). Later, ''an ekename'' developed into ''a nickname.'' In Viking societies, many people had nicknames ''heiti'', ''viðrnefni'' or ''uppnefi'' which were used in addition to, or instead of their family names. In some circumstances the giving of a nickname had a special status in Viking society in that it created a relationship between the name maker and the recipient of the nickname, to the extent that the creation of a nickname also often entailed a formal ceremony and an exchange of gifts. == Nicknames for people == Types of personal nickname: ===Relating to given names=== 1. A nickname may be a hypocoristic form of a person's first name.This is often a simple abbreviation of the name. For most English names the shortened form is taken from the first syllable e.g. Walt for Walter. However in many other languages it is much more common to use the last syllable of the whole name e.g. Italian language Nino for Giovanni (via Giovannino, which is a diminutive form of Giovanni). Some abbreviations can use the middle of a word e.g. Liz for Elizabeth. There are a few names for which an archaic pronunciation of the full name is preserved in the short name e.g. Rick for Richard indicates that the -ch- was originally pronounced as -ck-. For those abbreviations that do not begin with the same letter as the full name, see list of short name forms. Examples: *Ally, Allie ''for'' Alexandra, Allison, Alison or Alice *Andie ''for'' Andrea *Andy, Drew ''for'' Andrew *Ant, Tony, Toni, Tone ''for'' Anthony *Barb, Barbie, Babs ''for'' Barbara *Ben, Benny, Benji ''for'' Benjamin *Chuck, Chaz, Charlie ''for'' Charles *Chris, Chrissy, Chrissie ''for'' Christopher or Christine *Donna ''for'' Donnatella *Dan, Danny ''for'' Daniel *Ella, Ellie, Elle ''for'' Eleanor *Ed, Eddie ''for'' Edward *Em, Ems, Emmy ''for'' Emily and Emma *Harry, Hal ''for'' Henry and Harold *Jack ''for'' John *Jon for Jonathan *Jeff ''for'' Jefferson or Jeffrey (originally for Jefferson but now more often Jeffrey, a new form of Geoffrey) *Jerry ''for'' Jerome *Joe, Joey ''for'' Joseph *Josh ''for'' Joshua *Kate, Katie, Kathy ''for'' Katherine or Kaitlyn *Laur, Lauri, Laurie ''for'' Laurence, Laura or Lauren *Leo, Len, Lenny ''for'' Leonard or Leopold *Mandy, Mandi, Manda ''for'' Amanda *Maddie, Maddy ''for'' Madeline *Marg, Maggie ''for'' Margaret *Matt, Mattie ''for'' Matthew *Mil, Milf ''for'' Milford *Mo ''for'' Mohammed *Moll, Molly Dolly, Good Golly Miss Molly ''for'' Molly *Nate, Nat ''for'' Nathan, Nathaniel, Natalie *Pat, Trish, Tricia ''for'' Patricia *Rick, Rich, Dick ''for'' Richard *Bob, Rob, Robbie, Bobby, Rab ''for'' Robert *Ron, Ronnie ''for'' Ronald *Rosie ''for'' Rosemary *Sam ''for'' Samuel or Samantha *Steph or Stephie ''for'' Stephanie *Steve ''for'' Stephen (or Steven) *Sue, Susie, Suzie ''for'' Susan/Suzanne (most often Sue or Susie for Susan and Suzie for Suzanne) *Ted, Teddy ''for'' Theodore (or Edward) *Teddie, Thea ''for'' Theodora *Tom, Thom, Tommy ''for'' Thomas *Wen, Wendel ''for'' Wendy *Bill, Billy, Will, Willy ''for'' William *Zach ''for'' Zachary Many of these names are also registered as formal birth names. 2. A nickname may relate directly to a person's surname. Examples: *Mitch'' for someone with the surname'' Mitchell *Sully ''for someone with the surname'' Sullivan *Smitty'' for someone with the surname'' Smith *Churchy ''for'' Winston Churchill 3. It may also relate indirectly to a surname. Examples: *Chalky ''for someone with the surname'' White *Sandy ''for someone with the surname'' Brown *Dicky ''for someone with the surname'' Bird *Dinger ''for someone with the surname'' Bell *Chook ''for someone with the surname'' Fowler (only in Australia, where 'chook' is slang for chicken) 4. A nickname may reflect a national or cultural style. In the United States, for instance, rhyming contractions or plays on a person's name are common, as in: *Flo-Jo Florence Griffith Joyner *Ho-Jo, any person named Howard Johnson or the chain of hotels with the same name *J-Lo Jennifer Lopez ('J' from Jennifer and 'Lo' from Lopez) *A-Rod Alex Rodriguez Calling a person by their initials is also common. 5. Nicknames, whatever their original basis, may become cultural norms. 'Sis', (slang for 'sister') for example, is often picked up and used by all the members of a family, their friends and society at large. Similarly, 'Chip' (off the old block) and 'Junior' can be used for any youngster and the nickname may follow the person into adulthood. ===Relating to culture/nationality=== 6. It may relate (offensively or otherwise) to a person's nationality or place of origin. Examples: *Aussie ''for an'' Australia *Canuck ''for a'' person from Canada *Kiwi (people) ''for a'' New Zealand *Alternative words for British ''for an'' England person (U.S. usage); Pom or Pommy (Australian usage) *Mac or Jock ''for a'' Scotland person *Pinoy (or Noypi) ''for'' Philippines person *Newfie ''for a'' person from Newfoundland ''or'' Labrador *Scouse ''for a'' person from Liverpool *River Taff ''for a'' Wales person *Tex ''for a'' person from Texas *Wack ''for a'' person from Liverpool (obsolete) *Yank ''for a'' person from the USA ===Relating to personal characteristics=== 7. A nickname may relate to the person's calling. Examples: *Chips ''for a'' carpenter *Sparky or Sparks ''for an'' electrician or radio operator *Chief ''for a'' boss 8. It may reference a person's physical characteristics. Examples: *Baldy ''for a'' baldness person *Tubby ''for a'' fat person *Lofty ''for a'' tall person *Four-eyes ''for a'' person with glasses *Red ''for a'' person with red hair *Blondie ''for a'' person with blond hair It may be a sarcastic, or simply ironic, reference, e.g., Curly ''for'' someone with straight hair (or The Three Stooges at all) - this form is very typical in Australian English, e.g: * Blue ''for'' a person with red hair * Dulz ''for'' a cross eyed person * Shorty ''for'' a very tall person * Slick ''for'' a clumsy, awkward or shy person * Slim ''for'' a fat person 9. It may relate to a person's character, imagined or real. Examples: *Grumpy *Swotty *Romeo 10. It may relate to a specific incident or action. Example: Capability Brown was so called because he used the word "capability" instead of "possibility". Other examples include: Chemical Ali, Comical Ali. Many fictional characters have nicknames relating to events: Examples include the Char Aznable, Shin Matsunaga, Andrew Waltfeld and Mu La Flaga. 11. It may compare the person with a famous or fictional character. Examples: *Napoleon ''or'' Adolf Hitler ''for'' someone with a dictatorial manner ===Others=== 12. A famous person's nickname may be unique to them: *Tippecanoe ''for'' William Henry Harrison *Dubya ''for'' George W. Bush. Dubya is from the Texan pronunciation of 'w', Bush's middle initial. *Jack The Dripper ''for'' painter Jackson Pollock who created many of his works by dripping paint over horizontal canvas 13. A person's nickname may have no traceable origin. For example, a person named "Harold" may be nicknamed "Fred" for no apparent reason, or a man who was named after a relative may ask his friends to call him "Chip" to avoid confusion. == Nicknames of geographical places== ===Cities=== See also: list of city nicknames for a more comprehensive list. * Charm City - Baltimore, Maryland * The Big Apple - New York City * "The Windy City", "Second City", "City of Big Shoulders"; and "Hog-Butcher To The World" - Chicago, Illinois. (These last two are from Chicago (poem) by Carl Sandburg; see also Nicknames for Chicago.) * The Big Easy - New Orleans, Louisiana * Bluff City, City of Churches - Memphis, Tennessee * Mill City, City of Lakes - Minneapolis, Minnesota * Motor City - Detroit, Michigan * Music City - Nashville, Tennessee * The Big Smoke - London, United Kingdom, also Toronto, Canada * Centre of the Universe - Toronto, Canada, often used negatively by Canadians who live outside of Toronto due to the fact that the city is the financial and cultural hub of Canada and that there is a perceived bias towards Toronto by the Canadian media * Beantown - Boston, Massachusetts * City of Angels - Los Angeles, California * Pearl of the Orient - Hong Kong * City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * The Emerald City - Seattle, Washington * C-Town - Cleveland, Ohio ===Countries=== * The Great White North - Canada * The Land Down Under - Australia ===Regions=== * The Wet Coast - British Columbia, Canada; a play on "The West Coast" because that area of the country rains a lot == Nicknames for political terms == * Pinko - a communist * Red - a communist, but can also mean a rebel who is against the government * War Hawk - a person who supports and pursues aggresive foreign policies, such as going to war in order to achieve his/her goals * Dove - a person who supports and pursues peaceful means to conduct foreign policy, as opposed to war * Skinhead - a neo-Nazi or a white supremicist * GOP - the Republican Party, stands for "Grand Old Party" * Tory - a person belonging to the Conservative Party in Great Britain and Canada * Grit - a person belonging to the Liberal Party of Canada in Canada * The Little Red Book - the book that contains quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, often called that because the book itself has a red cover and small enough to fit into a pocket == Nicknames for some common items == *boob tube, idiot box, telly, TV - television *bug - Volkswagen Beetle *head - toilet on a ship *loo - toilet *Old Glory - the Flag of the United States == Nicknames for professions == * Chippie, Wood Butcher - carpenter * Cop, Pig/Bacon (usually a plural), Flatfoot - police officer * Doc - doctor * Geo - geologist or geophysicist * Roughneck - oil rigger * Shark - lawyer * Shovelbums - archaeological field technicians * Shrink - psychiatrist ==Military nicknames== * G.I. - soldier (short for Government Issue) * Dogface, gopher, grunt - infantry soldier * Zipperhead - armoured soldier * Matelots, squids, swabies - sailors * Frogs - Navy Seals * Leathernecks, Jarheads - United States Marine Corpss See also: List of nicknames of British Army regiments == Sports clubs and their nicknames == Sporting clubs are often given nicknames. These may or may not be incorporated into official names or be used by the club. The names of animals or colours are popular. Examples: ===Soccer=== * The Gunners - Arsenal F.C. * Red Devils - Manchester United F.C. * The Reds - Liverpool F.C * Magpies - Newcastle United FC * Canaries - Norwich City * Rams Derby County FC * Sky Blues - Coventry City F.C. * Hoops, Bhoys - Celtic F.C. * 'Gers, - Rangers F.C. * The Toffees - Everton F.C. * Gnaget AIK * Bajen Hammarby_IF * Vraken Djurgårdens_IF * Blåvitt IFK_Göteborg * Makrillarna GAIS * I Bionconeri, La Vecchia Signora Juventus * ===Rugby Union=== * Leicester Tigers - Leicester Rugby Football Club ===Baseball=== * Boston Red Sox- BoSox * Washington Nationals- Nats * Chicago White Sox - ChiSox * Oakland Athletics - A's * Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Halos * New York Mets - nicknamed "The Loveable Losers" when they first started playing * Cincinnati Reds - nicknamed "The Big Red Machine" during the team's run in the 1970's, when they won the division 6 times and appeared in the World Series 4 times ===Hockey=== * Montreal Canadiens- Habs * Mighty Ducks of Anaheim- Ducks * Toronto Maple Leafs - the Buds (reference to Canada's tolerance of marijuana) * New York Rangers - the Blueshirts * Philadelphia Flyers - nicknamed the "Broad Street Bullies" during the team's Stanley Cup runs during the 1970's * Tampa Bay Lightning - the Bolts ==See also== *List of monarchs by nickname *List of nicknames used by George W. Bush *List of U.S. Presidential nicknames Given names Linguistics nds:Ökelnaam
Regarding Australian "ironic" nicknames - how can I prove it, it's just a known fact. People round here (NW NSW) use that form of construction all the time. "Blue" in particular is a defining usage of Australian English especially abroad - "G'Day Blue" is a stereotype and cliche of the way Aussies talk. I have various guide books on Australia and most mention this type of nicknaming as typically Australian - take a characteristic and invent a nickname based on its opposite. What else is there to say? Anecdotal and what written evidence I have backs this up. I'm not sure why you're so against remarking that this is Aussie usage anyway - usually edits have to be defended. I've defended my end - argue yours. User:GRAHAMUK 03:19, 14 Jan 2004 (UTC) Easy: How many actual people have that nickname? (Blue) I've never met a single one myself, and know of no well-known celebrities or sports people with that nickname. Generally the word "blue", in Australian slang terms, means a fight, a mistake, or depressed. To me, these common usages with their negative overtones make it unlikely as a common nickname. (Also, it is extremely rare for a straight-haired person to be nicknamed "curly"!) If this was a common nicknaming construction, then one would expect some famous actual examples, yet "Slim" Dusty is not fat, while "The Great White Shark" indeed had white hair. However, I will not remove the "cliched, stereotype" again. :Yes, blue means all those things as well. That doesn't mean it is NEVER applied to a red-haired person. In fact my girlfriend gets called Blue occasionally by her Aussie colleagues, and yes, she has red hair. This is not proof of course, but then again, neither is being unable to think of a person you know or have heard of with such a nickname - that's just a lack of personal anecdotal evidence. Also, counterexamples don't prove it either - "'Slim" Dusty may not have been fat but that doesn't mean all those nicknamed Slim are likewise not fat. I'm not saying that this form is especially common, and maybe it's a form that is dying out (this is a definite possibility, because I personally have a hunch that this was something the Aussies inherited from the Poms, and was possibly a lot more common back in the old colonial days - this form is still used quite commonly in the UK), but you do hear the occasional example, and the guide books mention it, so... I think it should be left in. User:GRAHAMUK 03:49, 14 Jan 2004 (UTC) :I never said it never happened. I deleted the bit about Australia because I felt this construction wasn't neccesarily common in, nor restricted to, Australia - which is what you are now saying too. Also, I never removed the whole thing, I only removed the bit saying it was common in Australia (as opposed to anywhere else). I just don't think that it neccessarily is common in Australia. Maybe the guide books all got that tid-bit from... other guide books? It really was an extremely minor deletion anyway, an attempt to remove stereotype which I've never been a big fan of. User:MyallR 14 Jan 2004 I would just like to add that as an Australian I hear the term "Bluey" used as a nickname for red-heads all the time, and think it should be in the article. But I would also like to mention that this article has a very strong English POV, and should be edited to become more international. For example, the sports nicknames doesn't mention a single sports club from outside England. --User:Plattopus (User_talk:Plattopus) 17:34, Mar 18, 2005 (UTC) Relating to given names: To use "abbreviation" and "diminutive" as synonymous does make sense in English, but not in many other languages. In the Italian example used "Giovannino" is a diminutive from "Giovanni" and it is longer.In fact, in many languages diminutives are formed by affixes and tend to be longer than the straight form of the name. --User:Georgius 08:25, 15 May 2005 (UTC)
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Nickname
A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or thing's real name (for example, Nick is short for Nicholas). As a concept, it is distinct from both pseudonym and stage name, although there may be overlap in these concepts. A nickname is sometimes considered cool to have, symbolising a form of acceptance, but often times there is no need for a nickname Etymology: In Middle English the word was ''ekename'' (from the verb ''to eke'', "enlarge"; compare Swedish ''öknamn''). Later, ''an ekename'' developed into ''a nickname.'' In Viking societies, many people had nicknames ''heiti'', ''viðrnefni'' or ''uppnefi'' which were used in addition to, or instead of their family names. In some circumstances the giving of a nickname had a special status in Viking society in that it created a relationship between the name maker and the recipient of the nickname, to the extent that the creation of a nickname also often entailed a formal ceremony and an exchange of gifts. == Nicknames for people == Types of personal nickname: ===Relating to given names=== 1. A nickname may be a hypocoristic form of a person's first name.This is often a simple abbreviation of the name. For most English names the shortened form is taken from the first syllable e.g. Walt for Walter. However in many other languages it is much more common to use the last syllable of the whole name e.g. Italian language Nino for Giovanni (via Giovannino, which is a diminutive form of Giovanni). Some abbreviations can use the middle of a word e.g. Liz for Elizabeth. There are a few names for which an archaic pronunciation of the full name is preserved in the short name e.g. Rick for Richard indicates that the -ch- was originally pronounced as -ck-. For those abbreviations that do not begin with the same letter as the full name, see list of short name forms. Examples: *Ally, Allie ''for'' Alexandra, Allison, Alison or Alice *Andie ''for'' Andrea *Andy, Drew ''for'' Andrew *Ant, Tony, Toni, Tone ''for'' Anthony *Barb, Barbie, Babs ''for'' Barbara *Ben, Benny, Benji ''for'' Benjamin *Chuck, Chaz, Charlie ''for'' Charles *Chris, Chrissy, Chrissie ''for'' Christopher or Christine *Donna ''for'' Donnatella *Dan, Danny ''for'' Daniel *Ella, Ellie, Elle ''for'' Eleanor *Ed, Eddie ''for'' Edward *Em, Ems, Emmy ''for'' Emily and Emma *Harry, Hal ''for'' Henry and Harold *Jack ''for'' John *Jon for Jonathan *Jeff ''for'' Jefferson or Jeffrey (originally for Jefferson but now more often Jeffrey, a new form of Geoffrey) *Jerry ''for'' Jerome *Joe, Joey ''for'' Joseph *Josh ''for'' Joshua *Kate, Katie, Kathy ''for'' Katherine or Kaitlyn *Laur, Lauri, Laurie ''for'' Laurence, Laura or Lauren *Leo, Len, Lenny ''for'' Leonard or Leopold *Mandy, Mandi, Manda ''for'' Amanda *Maddie, Maddy ''for'' Madeline *Marg, Maggie ''for'' Margaret *Matt, Mattie ''for'' Matthew *Mil, Milf ''for'' Milford *Mo ''for'' Mohammed *Moll, Molly Dolly, Good Golly Miss Molly ''for'' Molly *Nate, Nat ''for'' Nathan, Nathaniel, Natalie *Pat, Trish, Tricia ''for'' Patricia *Rick, Rich, Dick ''for'' Richard *Bob, Rob, Robbie, Bobby, Rab ''for'' Robert *Ron, Ronnie ''for'' Ronald *Rosie ''for'' Rosemary *Sam ''for'' Samuel or Samantha *Steph or Stephie ''for'' Stephanie *Steve ''for'' Stephen (or Steven) *Sue, Susie, Suzie ''for'' Susan/Suzanne (most often Sue or Susie for Susan and Suzie for Suzanne) *Ted, Teddy ''for'' Theodore (or Edward) *Teddie, Thea ''for'' Theodora *Tom, Thom, Tommy ''for'' Thomas *Wen, Wendel ''for'' Wendy *Bill, Billy, Will, Willy ''for'' William *Zach ''for'' Zachary Many of these names are also registered as formal birth names. 2. A nickname may relate directly to a person's surname. Examples: *Mitch'' for someone with the surname'' Mitchell *Sully ''for someone with the surname'' Sullivan *Smitty'' for someone with the surname'' Smith *Churchy ''for'' Winston Churchill 3. It may also relate indirectly to a surname. Examples: *Chalky ''for someone with the surname'' White *Sandy ''for someone with the surname'' Brown *Dicky ''for someone with the surname'' Bird *Dinger ''for someone with the surname'' Bell *Chook ''for someone with the surname'' Fowler (only in Australia, where 'chook' is slang for chicken) 4. A nickname may reflect a national or cultural style. In the United States, for instance, rhyming contractions or plays on a person's name are common, as in: *Flo-Jo Florence Griffith Joyner *Ho-Jo, any person named Howard Johnson or the chain of hotels with the same name *J-Lo Jennifer Lopez ('J' from Jennifer and 'Lo' from Lopez) *A-Rod Alex Rodriguez Calling a person by their initials is also common. 5. Nicknames, whatever their original basis, may become cultural norms. 'Sis', (slang for 'sister') for example, is often picked up and used by all the members of a family, their friends and society at large. Similarly, 'Chip' (off the old block) and 'Junior' can be used for any youngster and the nickname may follow the person into adulthood. ===Relating to culture/nationality=== 6. It may relate (offensively or otherwise) to a person's nationality or place of origin. Examples: *Aussie ''for an'' Australia *Canuck ''for a'' person from Canada *Kiwi (people) ''for a'' New Zealand *Alternative words for British ''for an'' England person (U.S. usage); Pom or Pommy (Australian usage) *Mac or Jock ''for a'' Scotland person *Pinoy (or Noypi) ''for'' Philippines person *Newfie ''for a'' person from Newfoundland ''or'' Labrador *Scouse ''for a'' person from Liverpool *River Taff ''for a'' Wales person *Tex ''for a'' person from Texas *Wack ''for a'' person from Liverpool (obsolete) *Yank ''for a'' person from the USA ===Relating to personal characteristics=== 7. A nickname may relate to the person's calling. Examples: *Chips ''for a'' carpenter *Sparky or Sparks ''for an'' electrician or radio operator *Chief ''for a'' boss 8. It may reference a person's physical characteristics. Examples: *Baldy ''for a'' baldness person *Tubby ''for a'' fat person *Lofty ''for a'' tall person *Four-eyes ''for a'' person with glasses *Red ''for a'' person with red hair *Blondie ''for a'' person with blond hair It may be a sarcastic, or simply ironic, reference, e.g., Curly ''for'' someone with straight hair (or The Three Stooges at all) - this form is very typical in Australian English, e.g: * Blue ''for'' a person with red hair * Dulz ''for'' a cross eyed person * Shorty ''for'' a very tall person * Slick ''for'' a clumsy, awkward or shy person * Slim ''for'' a fat person 9. It may relate to a person's character, imagined or real. Examples: *Grumpy *Swotty *Romeo 10. It may relate to a specific incident or action. Example: Capability Brown was so called because he used the word "capability" instead of "possibility". Other examples include: Chemical Ali, Comical Ali. Many fictional characters have nicknames relating to events: Examples include the Char Aznable, Shin Matsunaga, Andrew Waltfeld and Mu La Flaga. 11. It may compare the person with a famous or fictional character. Examples: *Napoleon ''or'' Adolf Hitler ''for'' someone with a dictatorial manner ===Others=== 12. A famous person's nickname may be unique to them: *Tippecanoe ''for'' William Henry Harrison *Dubya ''for'' George W. Bush. Dubya is from the Texan pronunciation of 'w', Bush's middle initial. *Jack The Dripper ''for'' painter Jackson Pollock who created many of his works by dripping paint over horizontal canvas 13. A person's nickname may have no traceable origin. For example, a person named "Harold" may be nicknamed "Fred" for no apparent reason, or a man who was named after a relative may ask his friends to call him "Chip" to avoid confusion. == Nicknames of geographical places== ===Cities=== See also: list of city nicknames for a more comprehensive list. * Charm City - Baltimore, Maryland * The Big Apple - New York City * "The Windy City", "Second City", "City of Big Shoulders"; and "Hog-Butcher To The World" - Chicago, Illinois. (These last two are from Chicago (poem) by Carl Sandburg; see also Nicknames for Chicago.) * The Big Easy - New Orleans, Louisiana * Bluff City, City of Churches - Memphis, Tennessee * Mill City, City of Lakes - Minneapolis, Minnesota * Motor City - Detroit, Michigan * Music City - Nashville, Tennessee * The Big Smoke - London, United Kingdom, also Toronto, Canada * Centre of the Universe - Toronto, Canada, often used negatively by Canadians who live outside of Toronto due to the fact that the city is the financial and cultural hub of Canada and that there is a perceived bias towards Toronto by the Canadian media * Beantown - Boston, Massachusetts * City of Angels - Los Angeles, California * Pearl of the Orient - Hong Kong * City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * The Emerald City - Seattle, Washington * C-Town - Cleveland, Ohio ===Countries=== * The Great White North - Canada * The Land Down Under - Australia ===Regions=== * The Wet Coast - British Columbia, Canada; a play on "The West Coast" because that area of the country rains a lot == Nicknames for political terms == * Pinko - a communist * Red - a communist, but can also mean a rebel who is against the government * War Hawk - a person who supports and pursues aggresive foreign policies, such as going to war in order to achieve his/her goals * Dove - a person who supports and pursues peaceful means to conduct foreign policy, as opposed to war * Skinhead - a neo-Nazi or a white supremicist * GOP - the Republican Party, stands for "Grand Old Party" * Tory - a person belonging to the Conservative Party in Great Britain and Canada * Grit - a person belonging to the Liberal Party of Canada in Canada * The Little Red Book - the book that contains quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, often called that because the book itself has a red cover and small enough to fit into a pocket == Nicknames for some common items == *boob tube, idiot box, telly, TV - television *bug - Volkswagen Beetle *head - toilet on a ship *loo - toilet *Old Glory - the Flag of the United States == Nicknames for professions == * Chippie, Wood Butcher - carpenter * Cop, Pig/Bacon (usually a plural), Flatfoot - police officer * Doc - doctor * Geo - geologist or geophysicist * Roughneck - oil rigger * Shark - lawyer * Shovelbums - archaeological field technicians * Shrink - psychiatrist ==Military nicknames== * G.I. - soldier (short for Government Issue) * Dogface, gopher, grunt - infantry soldier * Zipperhead - armoured soldier * Matelots, squids, swabies - sailors * Frogs - Navy Seals * Leathernecks, Jarheads - United States Marine Corpss See also: List of nicknames of British Army regiments == Sports clubs and their nicknames == Sporting clubs are often given nicknames. These may or may not be incorporated into official names or be used by the club. The names of animals or colours are popular. Examples: ===Soccer=== * The Gunners - Arsenal F.C. * Red Devils - Manchester United F.C. * The Reds - Liverpool F.C * Magpies - Newcastle United FC * Canaries - Norwich City * Rams Derby County FC * Sky Blues - Coventry City F.C. * Hoops, Bhoys - Celtic F.C. * 'Gers, - Rangers F.C. * The Toffees - Everton F.C. * Gnaget AIK * Bajen Hammarby_IF * Vraken Djurgårdens_IF * Blåvitt IFK_Göteborg * Makrillarna GAIS * I Bionconeri, La Vecchia Signora Juventus * ===Rugby Union=== * Leicester Tigers - Leicester Rugby Football Club ===Baseball=== * Boston Red Sox- BoSox * Washington Nationals- Nats * Chicago White Sox - ChiSox * Oakland Athletics - A's * Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Halos * New York Mets - nicknamed "The Loveable Losers" when they first started playing * Cincinnati Reds - nicknamed "The Big Red Machine" during the team's run in the 1970's, when they won the division 6 times and appeared in the World Series 4 times ===Hockey=== * Montreal Canadiens- Habs * Mighty Ducks of Anaheim- Ducks * Toronto Maple Leafs - the Buds (reference to Canada's tolerance of marijuana) * New York Rangers - the Blueshirts * Philadelphia Flyers - nicknamed the "Broad Street Bullies" during the team's Stanley Cup runs during the 1970's * Tampa Bay Lightning - the Bolts ==See also== *List of monarchs by nickname *List of nicknames used by George W. Bush *List of U.S. Presidential nicknames Given names Linguistics nds:Ökelnaam
Nickname
Regarding Australian "ironic" nicknames - how can I prove it, it's just a known fact. People round here (NW NSW) use that form of construction all the time. "Blue" in particular is a defining usage of Australian English especially abroad - "G'Day Blue" is a stereotype and cliche of the way Aussies talk. I have various guide books on Australia and most mention this type of nicknaming as typically Australian - take a characteristic and invent a nickname based on its opposite. What else is there to say? Anecdotal and what written evidence I have backs this up. I'm not sure why you're so against remarking that this is Aussie usage anyway - usually edits have to be defended. I've defended my end - argue yours. User:GRAHAMUK 03:19, 14 Jan 2004 (UTC) Easy: How many actual people have that nickname? (Blue) I've never met a single one myself, and know of no well-known celebrities or sports people with that nickname. Generally the word "blue", in Australian slang terms, means a fight, a mistake, or depressed. To me, these common usages with their negative overtones make it unlikely as a common nickname. (Also, it is extremely rare for a straight-haired person to be nicknamed "curly"!) If this was a common nicknaming construction, then one would expect some famous actual examples, yet "Slim" Dusty is not fat, while "The Great White Shark" indeed had white hair. However, I will not remove the "cliched, stereotype" again. :Yes, blue means all those things as well. That doesn't mean it is NEVER applied to a red-haired person. In fact my girlfriend gets called Blue occasionally by her Aussie colleagues, and yes, she has red hair. This is not proof of course, but then again, neither is being unable to think of a person you know or have heard of with such a nickname - that's just a lack of personal anecdotal evidence. Also, counterexamples don't prove it either - "'Slim" Dusty may not have been fat but that doesn't mean all those nicknamed Slim are likewise not fat. I'm not saying that this form is especially common, and maybe it's a form that is dying out (this is a definite possibility, because I personally have a hunch that this was something the Aussies inherited from the Poms, and was possibly a lot more common back in the old colonial days - this form is still used quite commonly in the UK), but you do hear the occasional example, and the guide books mention it, so... I think it should be left in. User:GRAHAMUK 03:49, 14 Jan 2004 (UTC) :I never said it never happened. I deleted the bit about Australia because I felt this construction wasn't neccesarily common in, nor restricted to, Australia - which is what you are now saying too. Also, I never removed the whole thing, I only removed the bit saying it was common in Australia (as opposed to anywhere else). I just don't think that it neccessarily is common in Australia. Maybe the guide books all got that tid-bit from... other guide books? It really was an extremely minor deletion anyway, an attempt to remove stereotype which I've never been a big fan of. User:MyallR 14 Jan 2004 I would just like to add that as an Australian I hear the term "Bluey" used as a nickname for red-heads all the time, and think it should be in the article. But I would also like to mention that this article has a very strong English POV, and should be edited to become more international. For example, the sports nicknames doesn't mention a single sports club from outside England. --User:Plattopus (User_talk:Plattopus) 17:34, Mar 18, 2005 (UTC) Relating to given names: To use "abbreviation" and "diminutive" as synonymous does make sense in English, but not in many other languages. In the Italian example used "Giovannino" is a diminutive from "Giovanni" and it is longer.In fact, in many languages diminutives are formed by affixes and tend to be longer than the straight form of the name. --User:Georgius 08:25, 15 May 2005 (UTC)
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Nickname
Nicknamed
Nicknames
Nicknames_bestowed_by_George_W_Bush
Nicknames_for_Chicago
Nicknames_for_Chicago
Nicknames_of_European_Royalty_and_Nobility
Nicknames_of_Quebec_premiers
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