A lot of nicknames appear to date from times when there were just way fewer names to go around.
Margaret (and variants) gave us Peg, Meg, Maggie, Marge, Greta, Gretel (from the German Margarethe) and also Rita (from Margarita).
Sarah gave us Sally and Sal. Mary gave us Molly. John gave us Jack. Ann / Anne gave us Nancy and Nan and probably Nanette as well.
I am totally cool with these nicknames becoming names in their own right! Almost named a daughter some of these nicknames.
I too am surprised by Wendy being such a new coinage.
― Fleetwood Machiavelli (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 14:48 (four years ago) link
Almost all of the weird abbrevs come from a vogue at one time for rhyming nicknames, so you shorten it then rhyme likeWilliam will billRichard Rick dickMargaret meg pegRobert rob bob
― Microbes oft teem (wins), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 14:50 (four years ago) link
The picture must have been infinitely weirder in ancient Rome, where proper names were rather scarcer.
"Hi, I'm Julia. These are my daughters Julia Major, Julia Minor, Julilla, Juliana, and, um, Julia Tertius (I think). Fuck it, I lost track a while ago and just say HEY YOU! KID! CUT THAT OUT."
― Fleetwood Machiavelli (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 14:53 (four years ago) link
Hank and jack are two I’ve always found the weirdest, like ppl just really wanted that hard k sound in there
― Microbes oft teem (wins), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 14:57 (four years ago) link
(shoulda said Tertia but whatev)
― Fleetwood Machiavelli (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 14:58 (four years ago) link
Foreman has 12 children, five sons and seven daughters. His five sons are George Jr., George III ("Monk"), George IV ("Big Wheel"), George V ("Red"), and George VI ("Little Joey").
― Andrew Farrell, Wednesday, 15 April 2020 15:10 (four years ago) link
So far, none of his children has been named "Grill."
― Fleetwood Machiavelli (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 15:11 (four years ago) link
john, sean, eoin, jack
― ole uncle tiktok (darraghmac), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 15:47 (four years ago) link
johnny, ivan, ian
― Doctor Casino, Wednesday, 15 April 2020 16:57 (four years ago) link
... Jock.
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 17:08 (four years ago) link
Skipping all the baby-name stuff to second the recommendation of Michael Veal's Fela biography. It's a fantastic book. His book on dub - Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae - is also excellent.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 17:12 (four years ago) link
Clover, the band that played on Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True and later mutated into Huey Lewis & the News, was founded by Alex Call, the guy who wrote "867-5309/Jenny" (and Pat Benatar's "Little Too Late").
― Bougy! Bougie! Bougé! (Eliza D.),Wednesday, April 15, 2020 12:28 AM (fourteen hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
I didn't know any of this
― COVID and the Gang (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 21:46 (four years ago) link
also of course Elizabeth - Eliza, Liz, Lizzy, Ellie, Nellie, Nell, Betty, Beth, Lisbeth, Elspeth
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 22:25 (four years ago) link
I have a memory of a family where there were four children who had extremely weird names that could be abbreviated neatly-- Molly's full name was Molybdenum, Eve's full name was Yvohcna (Anchovy spelled backwards). I can't remember that family's last name or the other two children's names, wish I did
― we have no stan but to choice (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 22:59 (four years ago) link
WTF? Were the parents on acid or something?
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 23:07 (four years ago) link
Who wasn't, in those days?
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 23:52 (four years ago) link
On the great real names thread I posted a girl named Anesthesia. Saw it in that high school photo thing on fb.
― nickn, Wednesday, 15 April 2020 23:58 (four years ago) link
fuck it that is a great name
― steer calmer (darraghmac), Thursday, 16 April 2020 00:06 (four years ago) link
Named after the famous Princess Anesthesia Romanov?
― A is for (Aimless), Thursday, 16 April 2020 00:12 (four years ago) link
i presume its when you procreate to numb the pain
― steer calmer (darraghmac), Thursday, 16 April 2020 00:13 (four years ago) link
lady with the real name Merrill Nisker had some advice on the topic iirc
― donald failson (sic), Thursday, 16 April 2020 00:14 (four years ago) link
huh? right. what? uhh.
― mh, Thursday, 16 April 2020 00:59 (four years ago) link
Speaking of short names, I've always wanted to know why there are a few names with legitimate abbreviations, like Wm. or Geo.
I think I've seen Eliz. somewhere, so I'm guessing the names are all monarchs, who don't have time to sign their entire name.
Anybody know if this is true?
― Hideous Lump, Thursday, 16 April 2020 03:37 (four years ago) link
Was there ever a King Robt. ?
― pplains, Thursday, 16 April 2020 04:26 (four years ago) link
The Wikipedia entry for Cockayne Hatley seems to lie right on the seam between fact and fiction.
― avellano medio inglés (f. hazel), Thursday, 16 April 2020 05:51 (four years ago) link
Many historical records utilise standard abbreviations of given names in order to save time and paper.
― Kim Kimberly, Thursday, 16 April 2020 05:59 (four years ago) link
No period on Wm/Robt - it's only if the abbreviation ends on a different letter than the original word.
― Andrew Farrell, Thursday, 16 April 2020 06:52 (four years ago) link
Ah, I see that's covered by the link, sorry.
― Andrew Farrell, Thursday, 16 April 2020 06:53 (four years ago) link
I assume whoever captioned the photo of "the far end of the village" lives at what they consider to be the near end of the village.
― Non, je ned raggette rien (onimo), Thursday, 16 April 2020 07:53 (four years ago) link
Re: Wm, etc., contraction vs abbreviation, innit.Seeing a full stop / period after "Dr", "Rd", "Mt" etc. is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Fuck "American usage", a period signifies that the word is cut off.
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Thursday, 16 April 2020 08:00 (four years ago) link
(xp)
No buses serve the village. The nearest railway stations are Biggleswade and Sandy.
DO YOU SEE?
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Thursday, 16 April 2020 09:00 (four years ago) link
Biggleswade is also an adjective there, hope that helps.
― Andrew Farrell, Thursday, 16 April 2020 09:03 (four years ago) link
I have JUST learnt that Romy Schneider MIGHT be Adolf Hitler's daughter ! Apparently it was more or less known since the mid 70s...
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 16 April 2020 09:56 (four years ago) link
No way, she was far too good looking!
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Thursday, 16 April 2020 09:59 (four years ago) link
Well, I love her, but with that in mind, when you look at some of her pictures...To be more precise about that, I have just learnt that she has declared in the 70s that her mother was in love with AH and had an affair with him (circa the time of her birth)... and then they moved to a house right next to his eagle's nest (her mother also had affairs with other Nazi leaders... a nice woman apparently !).
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:11 (four years ago) link
So she has spent a lot of time at AH's nest during her childhood...
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:12 (four years ago) link
Having done a bit of googling, she does resemble her mother - those wide set eyes - and her father (the real one, not Hitler) was extremely good looking, so, on no scientific basis whatsoever, I'm dismissing the Hitler theory.
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:16 (four years ago) link
I cycle through Cockayne Hatley quite often - it has a very interesting church with some lovely Flemish misericords! Interesting fact: not only did Margaret Henley indirectly invent Wendy, her dad, William Henley was Stevenson's model for LONG JOHN SILVER.
― Piedie Gimbel, Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:38 (four years ago) link
WTF!!!!!
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:44 (four years ago) link
It doesn't seem impossible imo... But of course, we'll never know and that's for the best !https://images.app.goo.gl/wb9RsCRm4v5ST2dw9
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:49 (four years ago) link
Needs a moustache to be sure.
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:52 (four years ago) link
interested easy-to-miss note on the never-not-interesting treasure island: long john silver's wife -- who doesn't appear in person -- is black
(also his plan when he gets back the england with the treasure is BECOME AN MP lol)
― mark s, Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:55 (four years ago) link
Not a Tory MP I assume, if his wife is black he'd never get past the selection committee.
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:56 (four years ago) link
They'd never go for it at the Cockayne Hatley Conservative Association.
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Thursday, 16 April 2020 11:00 (four years ago) link
but what if he had money
― mark s, Thursday, 16 April 2020 11:00 (four years ago) link
also everyone was a whig then
― mark s, Thursday, 16 April 2020 11:01 (four years ago) link
Being a venture capitalist with considerable financial interests in the Spanish Main might swing them, it's true.
― The Corbynite Maneuver (Tom D.), Thursday, 16 April 2020 11:05 (four years ago) link
Steven Pinker is Canadian.
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Thursday, 16 April 2020 13:17 (four years ago) link
This is very Barry Lyndon
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 16 April 2020 13:21 (four years ago) link
mark s., if you don't mind some trashy TV, you should check out Black Sails, which is a fairly entertaining take on Treasure Island.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 16 April 2020 13:43 (four years ago) link