What's in a nickname? Lots!

          Nicknames are an important part of life’s experience. We should give incidents and locations nicknames and, when possible to do so without hurting the feelings of the intended individual, we should give each other nicknames.

          For example, I call my podiatrist my Doc of the Walk.

          Mrs. Leeway (yep, that’s a nickname) doesn’t think Doc of the Walk is a fitting nickname. She feels it does not rhyme properly.

          Since I feel it is important to reemphasize my opinion on all matters upon which we disagree, I was moved to make up the following song (with apologies to Larry Collins and Alex Harvey, who wrote the country song, Delta Dawn):

 

Sore footed Dawn, what’s that weird boot you have on?

Did you see a walk Doc for your right foot pain?

And did I hear you say that you had X-Rays today?

To see why you have suddenly gone lame?

 

          Not too good, I agree, but I was making it up as I sang along to the benefit of my spouse and you get extra points under those conditions.

          But the topic here is nicknames.

          When I was calling basketball games for California Lutheran University, the men’s basketball team had an outstanding shooter whom I nicknamed The Master of Disaster because he was so good at scoring when games were close and time was running out. As a newspaperman, I once covered an Imperial Valley College star named Jessie Jackson and I shortened his name to Jax for headline use. I once nicknamed a co-worker at a radio station The Fox with the Golden Locks and another co-worker shortened that to Goldie Locks and the shortened version (even I had to admit the other guy’s version was better) stuck.

          The late broadcaster Chick Hearn was brilliant with nicknames. He used to call Hall of Fame guard Jerry West Mr. Clutch or Zeke from Cabin Creek and Hearn called a backup guard named Flynn Robinson, Instant Points, because Robinson started scoring as soon as he got in a game. Who would remember Robinson without the nickname?

          They called President Calvin Coolidge Silent Cal and other chief executives have been known by their initials, such as JFK and LBJ. President Eisenhower was Ike.

          Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, who never actually existed, was The Fonz. Lieutenant Pete Mitchell, USN, was Maverick and his buddy, Lieutenant junior grade Nick Bradshaw, was Goose.

Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr., who is very much a real guy, is A.J. and Richard Petty is The King. Elzie Wylie Baker was Buck and his son, Elzie Wylie Baker Jr. is Buddy.

Even history uses nicknames. One day in 1881, a group of law enforcement officers walked down the street to disarm a bunch of cattle thieves. Things did not go well and the resultant violence went down in history as the Gunfight at OK Corral.

          So nicknames are all around you. Use them in good humor.

 

          Thanks for reading.