Questions tagged [nicknames]
For questions about nicknames, including their role, history, and origins
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2-letter abbreviation for the name Montgomery
Background:
I'm implementing elliptic curve cryptography in a hobbyist project of mine. And two kinds of the curves I'm about implement are Edwards curve and Montgomery curve (this and this).
For the ...
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1
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What is the equivalent of a demonym, but for organizations?
For example, the demonym of 'Mexico' is 'Mexican'.
What do you call the equivalent for people who are part of an organization? And do any rules apply in the formation of the name?
E.g.
Reddit -> ...
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1
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92
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Derogatory name for Average Joe type
I am looking for a derogatory name (not aggressive or distasteful, just a bit derogatory). Let me explain: In my country, there are these kind of average people who think they are great and know ...
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1
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126
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Capitalization rules for nicknames and name-replacing honorifics
My intuition is to capitalize any word that used in reference to a person in place of their name: Mother, Father, Grandma, Grandpa, Doctor, Captain, Professor, Sir, Ma’am, Boss, etc. But my research ...
5
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How common are hypocorisms ending with "s" in female names? (Babs, Bess, Becks...)
My question can be split in two parts:
Is this a pattern, how common is it, and how natural does it sound?
Is it more specific to feminine names?
Here are examples:
Barbara - Babs [1]
Elizabeth - ...
0
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1
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47
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How would you punctuate someone referring to themselves by a nickname? [duplicate]
Being the "family freeloader," as Tom liked to call himself, he felt as though he had no right to complain.
Should the comma come after the quotation marks, or is the current placement ...
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2
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289
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Is there a term for nicknames which are inserted between first and last names?
Examples:
Mike "no-stop" Granger
Jimmy "the wrench" Parsons
Is there a specific term that describes either of the following?
the nickname that comes between the first and last ...
0
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0
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131
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How do unisex names come about in English?
TL;DR
How do unisex names develop amidst, or out of, gendered ones in English (and other languages)?
Detail
In English, many (most?) names have a gender assignment of male or female. However, some are ...
3
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3
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Why were some guns such as the Thompson submachine gun nicknamed 'chicago piano'?
It's a 1920s gangster/mob thing, to keep your submachine gun in some kind of case resembling an instrument, so I can understand why they were called other nicknames like 'Chicago Typewriter' (...
0
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1
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Are there any poetic names for a "rainbow"
I cannot seem to find any poetic names for "rainbow", something like how the Sun was given the poetic name "the eye of heaven" in Elizabethan England. and other delightful coinages ...
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0
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Finding Meanings of English Names [duplicate]
In Sinhala the name Suminda means calm disposition from the words Samya (calm) + Indu (faculties).
In the case of English, how does one understand the meaning of names? E.g. names like Ann, Tom, Dick, ...
2
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1
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How to indicate middle name is preferred name in professional email signature
In almost all situations, I prefer to be addressed by my legal middle name. However, in the email signature (what's automatically included at the bottom of the email) of my university email, I must ...
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3
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What's a word for someone who scoffs at someone else's feelings?
I am trying to find a word someone who ridicules someone else's feelings. When I say generally anything, they'll say something completely unnecessary (and usually hurtful). Most of the time, I am not ...
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1
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Looking for an appropriate English name to replace my Chinese name [closed]
Background:
I am Chinese, and after living abroad from China for several years, I realize that I need an English name anyway. I’ve seen too many confused faces looking at my Chinese name.
My Chinese ...
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0
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Pronouncing initials as a word
I have long 3 names that i want to shorten so people can pronounce it easier, the initials of my full name are "M.E.Z", which sound a little heavy to pronounce letter by letter, do name initials have ...
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is "Bee" a moniker?
Sometimes the word "Bee" is used affectionately to describe a woman you care about.
Examples: "Hi Bee". "I love you Bee".
People also use the word "Boo" in a similar way.
Would this be a moniker?
I ...
0
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1
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Race question for curiosity purposes
What is the name for someone that wants to be a different race. Like for example if I wanted to be black but I am white what would be the name for that.I saw a post like this and I didn't get a clear ...
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Could "Terry" be a diminutive for Peter or Walter?
I know "Terry" is used as a given name, and derives from french Thierry. It could also be used as a nickname for e.g. Terence. Here the first syllable of the given name is used as the stem in the ...
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1
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Commodore Blimp [closed]
I am reading Martin Booth's Gweilo. Booth mentions several times that his inflexible father was called "Commodore Blimp" behind his back by his colleagues in the navy. I do not understand ...
0
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1
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Usage of "[Name] of [Company]"
I believe I've heard a phrase such as
Steven Stevenson of Microsoft
or
Kylie Kyleson of StackExchange
How frequent is it to refer to someone in this way, or in other words, does it sound too ...
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Why did James Harrington nickname Oliver Cromwell "Lord Achon" [closed]
Going back a year or two, was foreaware of the Cromwell nick "His Noseship" but not "Lord Achon" itself said to be from a character in James Harrington's writings Oceana. Haps heedful all the online ...
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1
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Punctuating an Initialized/Abbreviated Last Name
What is the proper method, in American English, to punctuate a name that's been abbreviated to an initial? I.e., "Dr. S," if the full last name was something like, say, "Syzlowski," or someone named, ...
4
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2
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What is the history of using "Jersey" for "New Jersey"?
I have long wondered the origin of calling New Jersey by the nickname "Jersey". To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever shortened New York or New Hampshire to "York" or "Hampshire", or ...
2
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2
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In a title like "Peter the Great", what is the name for the "the Great" part?
At first I was thinking sobriquet, but that is not quite the same. Is there a term for the "the " part of such titles?
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Proper Usage of Nicknames?
I’m already aware that nicknames are usually incorporated into the larger name between the first and last names — John “Jack” Doe, for example — and that this is essentially standard usage.
When you ...
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2
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Quotation marks for nicknames
E.g. "I get called Hitler in school." or "I get called 'Hitler' in school."?
Would quotation marks be needed for 'Hitler'?
What if it was an uncommon or nonsensical word like 'A123' or 'Gaylord'. ...
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1
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articles before nicknames [closed]
Why in some cases there is "the" before nicknames and in some there is no?I also have a question if it's appropriate to use an article "a" before nicknames.For instance:
Erwin "The Desert Fox" Rommel
...
6
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1
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Looking for origins of "craney-crow"
I'm looking for the origin of the term or nick-name "Craney-Crow." There are other spellings, but this turns up as the name of a character in the "Uncle Remus" stories. I'm wondering if it originated ...
0
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0
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51
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Nickname in quotations? [duplicate]
A married lady's proper name is Mrs. Rutledge Dingle. Her first name is Frances. When addressed by her nickname, Miss Fran, should "Miss Fran" be set off in quotation marks?
"Miss Fran" was my ...
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1
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479
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term for a nickname composed of an auto-antonym
What is the term for a contradictory nickname such as "Tiny" for a very large person?
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192
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suffix -ems (in slangy/hip-hop context): what special meaning (if any) does it convey and how commonplace is it?
One of Shaquille O'Neal's numerous nicknames is "Extra-Tallems".
It's mentioned in a text I've been asked to translate and I'm trying to be somewhat creative.
Any sort of informative background ...
2
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0
answers
170
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What is the proper term for global nicknames such as "Dude", "Slick", "Jack", etc? [duplicate]
Some people have the tendency to use words in a context similar to a pronoun, despite the word in question being an adjective, verb, whatever. Examples would be someone like Agent K in the film "Men ...
15
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2
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Why do some nicknames have no apparent relation with their original counterparts? [duplicate]
I find it unusual and rather contrary to common sense and logic that some nicknames should have no apparent relation to their original names, such as "Jack" for "John(eg. JFK)" or "Jonathan", "Patsy" ...
4
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1
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Why is Hugh called 'Shuggy' in Scottish?
Different english-speaking cultures have different conventions for names.
In Australia - your name is shortened or lengthened as a term of endearment. Rose becomes Rosie, Mitchell becomes Mitch and ...
2
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1
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214
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Is there a reason that "Righty" isn't a good nickname? [closed]
I'm not sure if it's just the fact that most people are right handed. I have a jumping spider that's missing its left front leg, so I thought about nicknaming it "Righty", but then I realized that ...
4
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3
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Is there a synonym for nickname including '-onym'?
Words suffixed by '-onym' relate to different classifications of word, or more often, name.
They refer to myriad different names from endonym to theronym but I cannot find an appropriate term for a ...
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2
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Given Names - Common Practices
Were the names Rebecca and Elizabeth ever used interchangeably, specifically in Ireland? I am doing some family research, and it seems that these two names may have been used to refer to the same ...
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1
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Is it suitable to use my native name 'Dong' in English environment in account of its special meaning in English? [closed]
As an alien whose first language is not English, I sometimes am in a very strange situation, is it suitable to use my native language name, Dong? I by chance know Dong has a little bit negative ...
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3
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What can be an affectionate name for a car? [closed]
People who drive for a living (taxi drivers, delivery workers, etc.) are often fond of their cars and give them affectionate names. These names can stem from the car brand or model (such as a Beetle ...
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1
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Commas and nicknames
I want to know, do you have to use a comma after a nickname WITH a name? Like would it be "Rose darling, how are you?" or "Rose, darling, how are you?" I'm curious to know what is the correct way to ...
3
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2
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Is there a term for someone who barely moves their arms whilst walking?
I know someone who barely moves his arms when he walks, a bit like Frankenstein's monster.
There is a Seinfeld episode ("The Summer of George") in which someone with the same behaviour is made fun of ...
3
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2
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What are the application conditions of the phrase "the same name"? [closed]
Suppose my brother is named Bob, my father is named Robert, and my mother is named Roberta. Do these three people all have the same name? This is obviously not a question about their birth ...
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254
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Is it common practice to shorten names with an "N" [duplicate]
Game of thrones : Eddard becomes Ned.
Wuthering heights : Ellen becomes Nelly.
It this common practice, or 2 isolated co-incidents? If it is common practice, is there a convention followed, stating ...
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0
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"Tab Tree" or "Tabs Tree" (-s at the end) [duplicate]
I created an extension for Firefox and named it "Tabs Tree". The extension is for managing browser tabs and representing them in the form of a tree structure. But now I think that I should have named ...
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What do you call a 'Nickname' that's longer than the actual name?
I'm pretty sure I used to know the term for a nickname that was longer or an expansion of a person's name.
EXAMPLE: My name is Sunny but friends sometimes call me Sunshine.
Though longer, Sunshine ...
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Why Anthony, Michael etc are called Tony, Mike etc? [duplicate]
It is a common practice, people calling and writing Tony for Anthony, Mike for
Michael, Max for Maxwell etc. It is correct to write or call ? I mean Anthony and tony can be two different names. Why ...
2
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1
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Capitals for a city nickname?
Say we pick a city, NotLondon. Now assign a nickname, "NotLondon, the city of tears", tears being a metaphor for rain. Should these be capitalized? Should the word 'the' be capitalized? I think it ...
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1
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If you called someone named "Shelly" "Shels" for short, would you spell it "Shels" or "Shells?" [closed]
Or Kelly -- "Kels" or "Kells?"
Is there a rule for this?
If it's just a judgement call, I'm inclined to go with one "l" as both "Shells" and "Kells" have potentially confusing homonyms.
I'm talking ...
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Historical probabilities that a person is referred to by his or her first or last name by friends [closed]
This is really an anthropology question, but since there's no SE anthro forum and I already am a member of this forum, I'll ask it here.
What is the probability that a male is (I don't use "man" ...
3
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4
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What is a good translation of "crâne de piaf" as a nickname?
I'm looking for a translation of "Crâne de piaf", in English, in the context of a nickname given to some fictional character.
Also, take note that I am native from France. What I'm looking for, ...