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 a pseudonym, though there may be overlap between the two.
Etymology: In Middle English the word was ekename (from the verb to eke, "enlarge"; compare Swedish ÃÂöknamn). Later, an ekename developed into a nickname.
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2 Cities and their Nicknames 3 Some Common Items and their Nicknames 4 Professions and their Nicknames |
Types of personal nickname:
1. A nickname may relate directly to a person's first name. Examples:
People and their Nicknames
2. A nickname may relate directly to a person's surname. Examples:
3. It may also relate indirectly to a surname. Examples:
4. A nickname may relate to the person's calling. Examples:
5. It may relate (offensively or otherwise) to a person's nationality or place of origin. Examples:
6. It may relate to a person's physical characteristics. Examples:
Conversely, it may be used ironically for someone with the opposite characteristic, e.g. Curly for someone with straight hair - this form is very typical in Australian English, e.g:
- Blue for a person with red hair
- Shorty for a very tall person
- Slim for a fat person
- Grumpy
- Swotty
- Romeo
9. It may compare the person with a famous or fictional character. Examples: 10. A famous person's nickname may be unique to them:
- Tippecanoe for William Henry Harrison
- Dubya for George W. Bush, a president who uses and has acquired several other nicknames as well. 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
See also list of city nicknames for a more comprehensive list.
Cities and their Nicknames
Some Common Items and their Nicknames
Professions and their Nicknames
much to add here, this is a start