Moose Allain on Twitter has been retweeting great nicknames people have been sending him and it’s been making me chortle.
My own favourite (and I know it’s not original, but it was to me at the time) involved a chap a friend of mine worked with, who was famously unsociable. He was known as Eternal Flame because he never went out.
Let’s be having you.
JustB says
–>
Rigid Digit says
Used to work with someone called Dog Shit – because he everywhere
Rigid Digit says
Because he WAS everywhere
Bingo Little says
Phew.
Johnny Concheroo says
Dave Grohl deserves that nickname these days
Bingo Little says
Because he WHAT everywhere??
minibreakfast says
My two youngest sisters couldn’t pronounce my name (Rebecca) when they were tiny, so called me ‘Bubba’. They still do, and so do their children.
(Not a funny story, but cute.)
JustB says
Aw!
My friend Paddy couldn’t say his older brother’s name (Alex) when he was tiny, so it still slightly confuses people as to why Pad calls him Egg.
minibreakfast says
There are probably millions of these 🙂
GCU Grey Area says
Bubba? Could be worse. A friend called Paul is known as Poo to his partner’s grand-daughter.
I really enjoy complicated modern family relationships. I’ve spent the last two Saturdays rebuilding my ‘uncle’s’ greenhouse. Only he’s not my uncle, he’s my partner’s. . .
geacher says
My youngest daughter Jennifer is still *jamjar* to me as it was what her big sister called her when they were young.
Bingo Little says
That’s also where Buzz Aldrin got his name.
“Buzzer” is what “brother” sounds like from an older sibling missing a couple of teeth.
Bingo Little says
Journeyman footballer, Fitz Hall. Known to the fans of multiple clubs as “One Size”.
Milkybarnick says
I love these. Someone on the tweets Bob refers to above mentioned that Man City’s Kiki Musampa had the nickname ‘Chris’. Apparently the cricketer Michael Carberry gets called ‘Toby’ too.
JustB says
I just nearly choked to death laughing at Toby Carberry.
GCU Grey Area says
It is also positively Wildean in its sophistication; cricketer’s nicknames are usually their surname + y. Belly, Swanny, etc. Marcus Trescothick though is either ‘Tres’ or ‘Banger’ (his favourite food being sausages).
Sid Williams says
more footballers:
Matthew (Chin) Upson
Bacary (Les) Sagna
Danny (Stan) Welbeck
Hawkfall says
Gordon (Jukebox) Durie is my favourite football nickname.
They collected nicknames on the Radio Scotland show Off the Ball a few years back. the one that sticks in my mind was the caller who called one of his uncles “The Exorcist” because whenever he came to visit his house the spirits would all be gone by the time he left.
niscum says
Imre (Ollie) Varadi
geacher says
excellent
Carl says
Former Everton fullback Neil (Dissa) Pointon.
Fin59 says
John Eales the Australian rugby player was called Nobody because nobody’s perfect. And he pretty much was.
duco01 says
Talking of rugby players with nicknames, there was Martin ‘Chariots’ Offiah.
Gatz says
I was disappointed when he appeared on Pontoess and pronounced his name (and he should know) OFF_eah rather than Oh_ FIE_ah. Spoils the gag rather.
Colin H says
I’ve got various friends with interesting nicknames:
Exciteable Dave (because, well, he gets extremely exciteable about things)
Smiling Phil (because he looks like a serial killer – and yes, rarely smiles)
Lonesome Steve – because he’s a downbeat singer-songwriter yet remarkably gregarious and is rarely seen at gigs, performing or attending, without a posse of associates
Bingo Little says
I used to work with a bloke whose surname was Danson. We called him “You should be” for two straight years. He never found it funny.
JustB says
Amazing.
Gary says
My favourite was a friend of a friend whose name was Matthew Chinn. His nickname was “Socks”. (Geddit?)
badartdog says
James Brown reference?
Gary says
Er… not sure. Mebbe. But the idea was “matching socks” (Matt Chinn).
Gatz says
My local MP is Simon Burns (Con). Don’t blame me, I certainly didn’t vote for him. Anyway, according to his Wiki page he graduated from Oxford with a third class honours degree, leading to the nickname Third Degree Burns.
DogFacedBoy says
Heard a contributor to Radio film show yesterday called Sam Quentin. I just hope one day a spurned lover says to him
“Sam Quentin, I hate every inch of you….”
Milkybarnick says
A chap I knew a few years back played Sunday league football. They had a player called John McCarthy whose on pitch nickname was Hostage.
JustB says
Ouch! Brilliant.
Colin H says
I once worked somewhere where there was a Health & Safety officer called Dave. We called him Health’n’Davey. In the same place there was an awful woman called Helen. She became known among some as Helen Earth. (I’m not making these up…)
JustB says
Ha! There was an absolute tragic pisshead in my college at uni, year below me. Universally referred to as Duncan Disorderly.
Gatz says
As was the footballer Duncan Ferguson.
seanioio says
I used to work with someone who had gained the nickname Thrush because he was an irritating………
nb. I did not give him this name nor ever refer to him as such.
ianess says
Man up.
seanioio says
fine line between bullying & fun. With this guy (although he suited the nickname quite well), he was not ‘in’ on the joke so it always felt like the former.
fentonsteve says
I am aware of someone named Edward King. Even his mum calls him Spud.
fentonsteve says
My wife works with Crispy, whose maiden name was Christine Patricia Bacon (and still uses the signature Chris P).
That’s parental cruelty, surely?
Rigid Digit says
Which immediately brings to mind TVS/Meridian news reader Chris Peacock.
Later he revised his name to the longer Christopher – I wonder why?
It must’ve been a laugh a minute in that newsroom – another reporter went by the name Sonia Legg
GCU Grey Area says
Friends of ours were thinking of double-barrelling their names when they wed. They didn’t, one reason being that her initials would mean she was Mrs Mop.
Leedsboy says
I used to work with a bloke called Gerry Pawlsey. His nickname, not given by me I’d add, was Cerebral.
drakeygirl says
Mr Drakeygirl’s workplace nicknames:
Dead Brain Pete (he wasn’t the brightest of fellows)
Skater (who missed a section of the road he was supposed to have gritted, which was described as being like an ice rink)
Slowly (a bloke called Leigh who took ages to complete any task)
Cheap Suit (a new boss, who was useless and was ‘transferred’ elsewhere)
Cheap Suit Who Got The Boot (see above)
Fuckity Fuck Fuck (Mr Drakeygirl, who…er…swears a lot)
JustB says
Slowly. That’s going in the hall of fame.
drakeygirl says
Mr DG has just pointed out that I’ve forgotten the ‘new starter’ at his work who is 64 years old and is universally referred to as ‘Drop Dead Kev’.
I don’t think, they’ve actually got an HR department.
drakeygirl says
My brother who coaches rugby at the local club is nicknamed Slobby (I’m not sure of the exact origin, and somehow don’t want to know). My mum was once memorably approached by a burly rugby lad when she was having a meal with her posh friend. The hulking teenager smiled, shook her hand and said, ever so politely: “It’s Slobby’s mum, isn’t it?” (The lad’s name by the way, was Eggy. Some people thought this was because his dad ran a business selling eggs. Actually it was because he once put three Cadbury’s creme eggs up his bottom for a bet). My mum later said to me perfectly seriously: “Oh, I was mortified. Why can’t those boys give eachother nice nicknames?”
Jackthebiscuit says
Three cadburys creme eggs – love it.
drakeygirl says
For some reason, after hearing his story, I have never ever wanted to eat a creme egg again.
Oh, and it will not surprise you, @jackthebiscuit, that Eggy was in the navy.
Jackthebiscuit says
TBPH DG, I find the fact that Eggy was in the navy, & by that, I am assuming you mean
Royal Navy (as if there is any other) as a source of great pride.
I am also not the least bit surprised, but I hope he removed the foil wrapper first…
ruff-diamond says
Rugger buggers eh? What are they like?
Mike_H says
I used to work with the son of a pub landlord in Aberystwyth.
He told me about a regular in his dad’s pub who’d had nearly all his teeth removed, except for those at the front. His nickname was Dai Central Eating.
drakeygirl says
Brilliant. In my mother-in-law’s Welsh village, there were a lot of Dais, who were distinguished by being called ‘Dai Grocer, Dai Plumber,’ etc. But my favourite was the chap whose first name AND surname were Dai. He was simply known as Dai Squared.
davebigpicture says
Would the undertaker be Dai the Death?
Milkybarnick says
There’s a guy who makes toy cars called Dai Cast.
Sid Williams says
or the famous boxer, Sugar Diabetes
count jim moriarty says
Or the rasta with dyed locks, Dai Dread.
Rigid Digit says
the fiery welshman with an explosive temper
Dai Namite
Rigid Digit says
the welsh roadmender
Dai Version
hubert rawlinson says
Or the Welshman who wasn’t sure of the existence of God and wanted proof Dai Agnostic.
davebigpicture says
A couple of people I’ve worked with:
A talented video engineer became known as Shoddy as a joke until clients started questioning his ability and he had to ask people to use his real name.
A lazy git, known as Arthur because he only did “Arfur” job.
My dad had a couple where he worked too. A morbidly obese man known as The Great Gutsby and a bald chap called Oven Ready.
Sid Williams says
Arfur was the favourite post-vasectomy nickname round our parts. Arfur Man.
bigstevie says
I worked in industry all my life and there were some beauties….as an electrician, I was fondly known as ‘the vital spark’. We had a useless welder who was known as ‘Tefal’ (the non-stick welder). One poor bloke was known as ‘sweet pea’ and hated it. This was because his dad had been in the navy and was known as Popeye. The shop bore was called ‘Ariston’ (goes on and on and on) and there were various people known as ‘Harpic’ because they were clean round the bend.
Mike_H says
A plumber, who did occasional work for a builder that my boss got electrical work from, was known (behind his back) as Leaky Len.
Beezer says
I have a friend called Norah who used to be infamous in our gang for becoming quite loud after one too many. She became known as Justig Norah. (Just ignore her)
Later, I worked with a lad called Lee who was referred to as ‘Obvious’ Obviously…
chiz says
We had a friend like Norah way back. She always had one more drink than everyone else. Her surname was Anout, so her nickname, obviously, was ‘Pisters’
GCU Grey Area says
Two Sills. Because he had two sills replaced on his Volvo.
Jim Cain says
The rugby player Billy Twelvetrees is nicknamed ‘Thirty Three’ by his team-mates. Everton’s John Stones is nicknamed ‘Paint Trophy’ (might be lost on Bob that one).
Poppy Succeeds says
Sounds like his teammates need to brush up on their times tables.
Sitheref2409 says
You’ll find its 36, I believe
Jackthebiscuit says
When I was in the Royal Navy I served with a sprog weapons mechanic who had the surname Pinion.
He was known as Rackan.
GCU Grey Area says
Up. Wonderful.
Black Celebration says
A humour-free and dunderheaded manager at one of my workplaces was nicknamed “Benny” after the Crossraods character. There was a change around of desks and, carelessly, someone had put “Benny” on the new office plan to indicate where he’d be sitting.
“Who is ‘Benny?'” – he said. He was told by a quick-thinking colleague that this was where Penny was planning to sit. “Well Penny can think again!” and crossed it out, placing his name there.
As I tell this anecdote, it sounds like he knew all along and was dealing with it in a dignified way. Yet I promise you that this was not the case. He was just not that bright. There was no one in the office called Penny. My colleague made the correct assumption that he didn’t know the names of the underlings there.
hubert rawlinson says
Worked with someone called Vicks because he got right up your nose.
Gatz says
*offensive language warning*
Years ago I joined an office where I was warned that the desk next to mine was occupied by a man to whom people consistently referred as Fat Keith the Cunt. Now, you can’t go around referring to someone as Fat Keith the Cunt, even if the words are true separately and collectively, so a shorthand had to be found. Hence he became known as KFC.
A while later the team underwent a reorganisation and KFC was released to explore alternative opportunities. Fat Keith the Cunt had become unemployed, and so KFC became known as FCUK.
el hombre malo says
There was a charge hand at a whisky processing plant where we delivered a new control system.
He wore brothel creepers, and was light on his feet, so would often put the fear into colleagues by materialising behind them as they worked.
He was “Creeping Jesus”, because they usually exclaimed “JESUS!” when he appeared.
Gatz says
You didn’t deliver to Oban did you? Creeping Jesus was one of the characters in Alan Warners brilliant debut novel Morvern Callar.
el hombre malo says
this plant was in Shieldhall – but it’s a fairly small industry, and word travels fast!
Bamber says
Best nickname in our school was Mr. Harvey with the Bobby Charlton hair who was known as Lee Harvey Wasbald.
drakeygirl says
We had a cross-eyed chemistry teacher of diminutive height. He was known as ‘Inch High Wobbly Eye’.
Jeff says
Oh blimey, teachers’ nicknames, I haven’t thought about those for decades. The ones that spring to mind are:
– Snigly Snailbender, because he had huge inch-long nostrils and somebody reasoned that he must therefore have huge bogeys, and so when he picked his nose it would be like somebody pulling a snail out of a shell.
Billy Breathfart, because when he was giving you a 100Db nose-to-nose bollocking his unbelievably foul breath was like somebody chuffing directly into your face.
Moses, a priest who looked nothing like cinema’s Charlton Heston but did look like The Most Unbelievably Saintly And Beatific Man From Central Casting, Ever. He was tall, slightly pear-shaped, gently-voiced, pink-faced, rosebud-mouthed, smooth-cheeked, shiny-domed, with THE most perfect baby-fine-haired blond tonsure in the whole of Christendom. He’d stepped straight out of a Dürer woodcut.
And Action Man, because he simply was an absolute dead-ringer for the toy figure, not just in stature and bearing but also because he’d never ever been seen to display any facial expression whatsoever.
Gatz says
Wiggy Because he had an appalling wiry red comb-over which no one could believe was real, but at the same time no one would have bought if they had any choice. Also nknown as Girls on Film because he would occasionally appear in the local magistrates’ court for taking dodgy pictures.
Davros The head of my sixth form college, so named because he never came out from behind his desk.
Jeff says
God, that Davros one is absolutely wonderful. Inspired.
count jim moriarty says
My history teacher Mr. Woodcock. Universally known as Splinters.
Colin H says
You’ve just reminded me – we had a woodwork teacher called Mr Turner – ‘Wood-Turner’, of course.
garyjohn says
Woodwork teachers, being, in the main psycopathic sadists, were always ripe for a good, piss-taking nickname.
We had Mr Ritchie, who was, naturally, known as “Balsa”.
Beezer says
We had a Mr Crosby. Known to us as “Bing’. He also used to commentate on football matches on our local BBC Radio so fancied himself as something a public speaker. He would occasionally fill in for the Headmaster at morning assembly. He enjoyed speaking without notes, hands in pockets wandering up and down the aisles.
He’d go on for bloody ages. A loud whisper would go round when it became apparent he was taking assembly. ‘F**k, it’s Bing’
Gatz says
There’s a section in Greg Davies very funny show shoe Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog about nicknames. My favourite is Gandhi. Why? says Greg. ‘Well, my name is Andy, and I’m gay, and my friends just… ‘ [mimes moving hands together].
Mousey says
Back in the eighties a young cricketer called Steve Waugh was selected for the test team at a really young age. After a slightly dodgy start he came good on the 88-89 Ashes tour and basically stayed in the team till he retired.
He had a twin brother, Mark, who wasn’t picked till many years later, despite making huge centuries in club and state sides.
Sports journalist gave him the nickname Afghanistan, which at the time was, um, a forgotten war…
Smudger says
There is another Waugh sibling called Dean who clearly didn’t have the talent of his brothers and played only one first class game. Apparently when playing a grade match an enquiry was made by an opposing player as to whether he had been adopted.
count jim moriarty says
Mark Waugh was also on the receiving end of one of the best shedges ever. In an Oval test match, the Leicestershire seam bowler Jimmy Ormond played for England. Waugh remarked that he felt Ormond was a distinctly mediocre bowler, and Ormond simply relied ‘at least I’m the best player in my family!’
count jim moriarty says
sLedges, rePlied…
Cookieboy says
1990’s Atlanta Braves second baseman Mark Lemke was known to his teammates as “Dirt”
ivylander says
Another baseball player named Doug Gwosdz was nicknamed ‘Eyechart’.
Clive says
A poor lad on Jeremy Kyle was once informed of the fact that his mum was known on the estate as Three Litre Rita.
nigelthebald says
I’m still appalled that no-one took up my nickname for former Indian Test captain Sourav Ganguly.
I always think of him as Ging…
ianess says
Apparently, a rather aloof, snobbish and unpleasant individual. Known to his Lancashire teammates as Lord Snooty.
Smudger says
I used to play cricket with a mate called Pete Rowberry or ‘Daylight’ as he was affectionately known.
bobness says
Damn, I was going to share that.
Too late.
thecheshirecat says
My cousin has a couple of mates with appetites.
One is known as Vampire the Buffet Slayer; the other as The Exorcist – once he’s called by, there are no spirits left in the house.
Arthur Cowslip says
Lol
Alias says
A guy in the IT department of a company I used to work for had the surname Cox. The poor quality of his work irritated loads of us so he was known as Sit Up.
A mate had a colleague from Cockermouth who was nicknamed BJ.
Smudger says
Someone I used to work with whose surname is also Cox told us that he was called Isaac at school.
geacher says
When i worked for the army way back when we had a guy that was nicknamed “The Dutchman”. He was the Naafi Van Driver……….
Colin H says
That’s fantastic! 🙂 Almost as giood as Mr Pawsley (above, which I laughed at despite myself).
ganglesprocket says
When I went to high school there was a guy nicknamed “Fridge” because people claimed he was too poor to own one. There was also an “Oilet.”
This unfortunate soul was saddled with this nickname on day one of Primary School, because he couldn’t pronounce “toilet” he asked the teacher if he could go to the “oilet.” As far as I am aware, he’s probably still called that.
JustB says
When we were students a friend of mine had a Saturday job at the local karting track. One lad there, a trifle intellectually disadvantaged, was universally known as – and cheerfully answered to – Cabbage.
ganglesprocket says
Oh jesus you just reminded me of a guy at my school who was darker skinned than us (but a white guy, his sister had bright red hair, which just shows you how pale we were), who, ten years after we left school, was still being called “Nig” by all and sundry.
ganglesprocket says
Also another guy, who was a bit handicapped, he was “Spag”
We weren’t subtle in Cumbernauld in the eighties.
Beezer says
When sharing a house with friends, the tv remote was referred to as the ‘zapper’. This became ‘Frank’ very quickly.
Cleversides here would refer to the accompanying video remote as ‘Dweezil’. They were long, cold nights.
Skirky says
One of the chaps in the warehouse is known colloquially as ‘Thrush’. Apparently he’s quite irritating.
seanioio says
Whoops. Didn’t see this before replying above sorry.
Skirky says
That’s a relief – I thought I’d done it.
Red Lodge says
I knew a bloke called Lactose. He worked on a dairy farm and many assumed that was where the nickname came from. But the truth was that, as a young man, a cow crushed his foot, requiring surgery and the removal of several damaged toes. Hence, he “lacked toes”.
hubert rawlinson says
It has been said that the more nicknames you have the less you are liked. A line manager I had had many. Major Disaster and Calamity. He also rejoiced in the names King Tut ( totally useless twat) and Sadim ( Midas in reverse) as everything he touched turned to shit.
ivylander says
An old one, but a fave: Dorothy Parker nicknamed her pet parrot Onan because it kept spilling its seed….
Colin H says
I dimly recall a school trip somewhere, involving bicycles. I was in a party of three and one, let’s call him Dave (actually, that is his name), ended up breaking his chain in the middle of nowhere. He quickly developed a means of propelling himself by swinging his legs and somehow pushing along on the ground. I can’t quite figure out, retrospectively, how he did this, but he was known for months after as ‘Swinger’. Not, perhaps, a nickname you want to keep into adult life. (He became an ultra-capitalist ‘property consultant’, so I think ‘git’ is probably what most of his peers call him now.)
geacher says
A baker I used to work with…. about 5ft 3inches tall, at most he was 6 stone soaking wet, a pale, wan complexion, thinning sandy/ginger hair a somewhat effete soft voice and what appeared to be a permanent miasma of flour surrounding him.
He was named “The Dark Destroyer…..”
davebigpicture says
Which reminds me……a lighting engineer, whose surname was Prince, was known as The Prince of Darkness.
chiz says
The night before a cricket tour one of the team phoned every single one of us individually. He revealed he’d been having an affair with another player’s wife, and the other guy had just found out. As a result the other guy would not be coming on tour, but he still would. He said he was telling us this now so it wouldn’t be a ‘thing’ during the week away, and he politely requested that we respected everyone involved, avoided gossiping about it, and kept any insensitive jokes to ourselves.
From the moment he stepped onto the minibus the next morning, until this day, he has been known as Shagger.
Moose the Mooche says
From my alma-mater: Whinny – not a misspelling of Winnie, but an approximation of the noise he allegedly made when knobbing undergraduates in his office.
From my current work: Aggro Magnet. Self-explanatory.
From Grimsby in the early ’80s: Shit Withers. Not, as you might expect, a man who sang Ain’t No Sunshine very badly, but one who paid unknowing homage to John Waters’ most notorious film.
On a similar note, a man my dad used to work with was referred to as The Logger.
You’ll have had your tea!
el hombre malo says
A steelworks one – a jovial, not very competent manager, was known as “The Pawn”. Whenever anyone came to him with a problem, he would listen intently, and then close with “Leave it with me”. Problems which were left with him stayed there, unclaimed and unresolved, for years
And an inherited nickname. At school, an older pupil was introduced to us as “Bogie”. (His real name, we later found out, was David). After a few weeks, we inquired about the origins of his nickname. In the dark and distant past, David’s elder brother had turned up to school in a double-breasted trench coat, like the one Humphrey Bogart wore. This was a little too fashion-forward for Glasgow in 1972, so he was immediately disparaged as “Bogie”. When his wee brother David started at school, he was named “Wee Bogie”. After a couple of years, the older brother had left school, so David became “Bogie”. Nicknamed, for all eternity, for his big brother’s coat.
chiz says
That reminds me – I used to play football with a lad called Schillaci’s Brother. He didn’t look anything like the great Italian player of the time, Toto Schillaci. But his brother did, apparently, so he was known as Schillaci. He didn’t play for our team, and I never met him. So this guy’s entire identity was built on the fact that his brother looked a bit like someone famous.
It always felt odd shouting “On me head, Schillaci’s Brother!”
Kaisfatdad says
Wonderfully entertaining thread. Have an Up, Bob. Is this a very Anglophone thing?
People have nicknames in Sweden but it’s on nothing like this scale. Are there any other countries that have such a fntastic richness of nicknames?
Interesting to note that there are two kinds of nicknames: those that the person knows about; and those for bosses or authority figures where the whole pleasure of the nickname lies in the fact that the person doesn’t know.
We had a rather incompetent Aussie maths teacher at school who was known as Greebo. I don’t think any of us ever knew why. Knowing this fact, it was as though one became the member of a secret society. Much schoolboy sniggering took place.
Sid Williams says
did he ride a motorbike? I remember the Greasers being called Greebos
Kaisfatdad says
Interesting input, Sid. Thanks. A man less likely to ride a hog would be difficult to find!
Greebo now seems to mean someone who likes alternative music.
Locust says
@Kaisfatdad – I was thinking this too when I read this thread – most Swedish nicknames are simply derived from their actual name.
I can only recall a handful of nicknames that had some other origin (and none of them were puns, like most of these seems to be). A teacher known as the Goat (his beard), another who didn’t have a nickname but a short pantomime that went with his name (he had a pretentious middle letter between his first and last name, so whenever we said it we’d pretend to tug on a bowtie – which he wore – as we said that middle letter), a tall guy at school called the ginger piss (because he was ginger and he was once seen taking a leak behind the school).
Me and two friends were briefly – among ourselves – named Rattle, Flutter and Little Squeak (and had our own theme tune…) The reasons for this was an old bike, a pair of braids and a yellow hoodie…as unlikely as that may sound.
All other nicknames are just derivations of people’s names (if sometimes quite fanciful ones).
Kaisfatdad says
So were you Rattle?
I must rack my brains on that one @locust. Are there no musicians that have a nickname?
Timbuktu is a stage name but it may have come from a nickname.
Certainly your Viking ancestors had some great names Erik Bloodaxe, Sweyn Forkbeard, Björn Ironside and Erik the Boneless(!) Better than Erik the Chinless, I suppose.
Locust says
Well, a few of the punks of course copied the “tradition” of taking stage names, but went for the silly rather than the outrageous (Stig Vig, Bumpaberra, Per Cussion, Beno Zeno, Olsson, Tage Dirty, Zilverzurfarn, Kopp Te, Teka Pukk – all members of Dag Vag at some point…)
Timbuktu is also a stage name that he chose as a tribute to his heritage.
All of the nicknames I can think of are in some way derived from their actual name. “Plura” Jonsson as well, from Per Lennart – it’s sometimes far-fetched but still originates from the name.
I work with a Lennart who gets called Limpan – all you need is one letter to make up a new nickname!
And yes: I was Rattle! Until my neighbour got tired of hearing me riding up and down the street and fixed my bike (without asking).
ianess says
Further proof, if any were needed, that Sweden is the most fucking boring and depressing country in the world.
Locust says
Further proof, if any were needed, that putting lemons up your arse is a bad thing.
ianess says
Yet another sparkling rejoinder to remind us why Sweden is renowned for its wit, joyousness and irrepressible sense of fun.
Locust says
Hey, Mr Lemon!
You seem to be wearing a grumpy old man as a hat…
🙂
Freddy Steady says
Nice one Locust!
nigelthebald says
*wild applause for Locust*
ianess says
Ah, the fabled Swedish sense of humour. Up there with the Italian’s reputation for probity and incorruptibility.
nigelthebald says
Funnier than you, at least.
niscum says
Hey, I’m just reading Knausgaard now and tbf the swedes must have a sense of humour and be very self-deprecating too as he slags them off all the time and doesn’t seem to have a good word to say about them or their culture.
O, no wait a sec, Ive just read the cover and apparently he’s Norwegian.
As you were.
Kaisfatdad says
True, @niscum. But he now lives in SkÃ¥ne in Sweden so I think he’s become a little Swedified.
But it’s a national sport for the Norwegians and Swedes to slag each other off.
Could it be that ianess is a Closet Norwegian, @locust? That would explain a lot.
seanioio says
There is a pub in Sale & the landlord is quite a large bloke. He has the affectionate nickname of Shady. (Because he is not Slim)
geacher says
Two guys joined the company I worked for as trainee managers…both were from the North East village of Insch. Mike, who was about 5ft6 was named “half insch” and his mate who was well over 6feet was called “two insch”.
Skirky says
We had two Steves in our band. To avoid confusion at rehearsals we referred to the Australian one as ‘Kilbey’. He still answers to it to this day.
Black Celebration says
Just remembered a good one from Brookside.
The window cleaner character was called “Sinbad” because his window cleaning skills were limited to the round wiping motion that would be ideal for a ship’s porthole, but not so much for a residential window.
Freddy Steady says
Used to work with someone who was always late, nicknamed Minty.
Always in after 8 you see…
el hombre malo says
Another from the land of steelworks control systems. In the late 80s, our company grew in size and we started to hire people from outside the Central Belt. This led to some culture clashes, as people with more refined outlooks were exposed to the rough and tumble of our ways. One very pleasant chap from Montrose – tall, slightly effete (by the standards of the environment, which means that he hardly swore at all, never used the C-word in front of customers, and always washed his hands before he ate) had the surname Ritchie.
He was, of course, referred to by everyone as “Big Mabozza”.
seanioio says
Just remembered another.
I have a friend called John who has been called ‘Duncan’ for years. The reason, an ex girlfriend of his had the initials PJ.