Cathy's Creative Corner: What's in a nickname?
Once upon a time, a nickname was meant to be a shorter version of your birth name. For example, Bill has long been an alternate for William, and Dick stands for Richard. Kates are usually officially named Katherine and Cathys are Catherine with the C. Gabby, Gabriella. Tom, Thomas. Pattie, Patricia. See where I’m going with this?
So… pray tell, what is this guy’s first name? Tinkabell. Yes, I wrote guy. And what could CuttButt be short for? I kid you not. These are people I grew up with, a few older, a few younger. Whether you were at the pool, ballgame or a party, you were going to hear some of these monikers. You’d probably associate Toe Joe, Pot Gut, Big House and Tank with a man’s body build. Somewhere between his head and his feet may lie the reason for his nickname. And, it may not. Those named after animals were a little harder to figure out. One reason I can’t go fishing is because I’m scared of live fish, worms and snakes. However, Worm, Snake and Fish are/were three of the coolest dudes around. Moose doesn’t have antlers and the original Q-Dog doesn’t bark, unlike Ques. This brings me to the last animal nickname, Ant. I proudly proclaim this IS a derivative of Anthony.
Don’t be thrown off by the name. He’s not a flirt. They just call him Winky. Whimp, also did not portray his name. Don’t be fooled. On the other hand, Stuffy could’ve been in honor of a teddy bear. I recognize the color blue. I’ve only owned one pair of boots. And I boil teabags to make tea. I also have friends and family named Blue, Boot and T-Bag. The only name I can’t rationalize is Buckey. But I know one. I used to take his hotdogs at lunch every day. There was also Snag, not to be confused with Shag. Butch, not to be confused with Butchie. And Pookie, not to be confused with Pokey. By the way, Pokey is a girl.
Speaking of feminine nicknames, the array is not as big as the boys’ but some are just as mind-boggling. From the bird family, we have Crow and Tweetie, not to be confused with Tweet. Tootsie Roll is a classmate and sounds a lot like Tusi, who was in an upper class. Then there is BeBop and BaeBae. These powerhouse softball players represented our neighborhood in the City League ballgames. Either alias could’ve been an alternate for Babe Ruth, if you ask me. In my lifetime, I’ve known two LilBits. One is my best friend’s sister. The other is a classmate’s mother. Do you know how awkward it is saying Ms. LilBit? One dear, close family friend was Flip. We all loved this woman to death. My parents’ circle also included sisters, Beanie and Sooter, and friends, Molly and Dolly. Nicknames come in all ages.
I’ll tie up this story with two final names. Toopee and Snookie. What’s a “toopee” or a “snookie” you may be wondering. I have no idea, but these two people were my parents. Their upbringing made them total opposites. Dad was stern and strict. Mom was spoiled. Yes, I said spoiled. But it made for a winning combination in helping each other navigate the pathway of life. After attending school together, going off to separate colleges, Dad doing a stint in the military, Mom moving to New York to work, they both came back home and were wed. From that union came five kids. Guess what? Only one has a nickname. Guess who?
