Doesn’t Everyone Have a Nickname? What’s Yours?

Was writing yesterday about Music Memories when my cousin Maureen commented about one of her's that involved us jumping around and singing "9 to 5" through out our house. I remember that like it was yesterday even though it at least 25+ years ago. I've been told before that I've got a memory like an elephant (although I don't remember who told me that *grin) but I think it's a bit of cued recall because I'll hear a song, a smell or something and the memory comes flooding back. So what does this have to do with nicknames? When I was thinking about dancing along with Maureen, I started thinking about another time she was at our house for the summer and was giving everyone nicknames (her nickname has been Reeny for as long as I can remember). I got a nickname, my brother Terry, my mom & dad along with most of the people in our neighborhood did too. For some reason she couldn't think of the "perfect" nickname for my best friend Pam, she went through a long list over a few days and one night in the kitchen while my mom was cooking she started going through the spice rack over the stove for ideas. Connie Cumin, Mary Marjoram, Allison Allspice....wait I know PRISCILLA POPPYSEED! There is was. Right out of nowhere and of course the name stuck with a variety of different incarnations: Cilla, Popperseed, Popper and ultimately landed on just plain Seed which is what I called her for many years to come. Picture By Jack Dorsey My own life has been filled with nicknames, you can almost associate a time to what name a person calls me and plot out them out to create nickname timeline. If they call me Scumby then we probably went to camp together in the early 80's. Any variation on Michella, Unchell, Misquelle or Squelle and it was late 80's or early 90's. These days my daughter calls me Mommy Dee, hubby call me Shellers and without fail my dad starts every phone call with "hey Augie Doggy". In return about everyone of my friends and family members have a nickname I've given them or someone else has - Mommy Da Jommy, Mr. Scobadee-be-bop, Daddy Doggy, Roonie, Bunners, Bully, Queenie, Nuke, Foofa and the list goes on. This got me thinking do people with nicknames tend to give other people nicknames? And how do they stick? Of course trying to create your own nickname or make people call you something new rarely stays around long. Am I more likely to give nicknames because I've always had them myself? How about you - do you have a nickname? What is it and how did you get it?

One thought on “Doesn’t Everyone Have a Nickname? What’s Yours?

  1. Excellent writing, Michele! My nick name is Annie~Two different stories behind the one nickname. One came from Little Orphan Annie , the cartoon in a MEN”S ADULT magazine, or just that , like an orphan, I was moved around a lot. I also got stuck with Didi, which I abhorred. Didi, I was NOT. Oh, and yet another comes to mind! I was “little Mac” in the sixth grade, when Big Mac’s were all the rage and there were contests to see who could sing the ‘THE TWO ALL BEEF PATTIES song the quickest. Thanks for the memories!

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