What's in a Nickname?

My family name is pronounced like two words: owe linger, with the accent on the "owe." People have a tendency to make it AW, like what you say at a cute kitty. They also, for reasons I will never understand, make the "g" soft, turning it into a "j," and making my name Awlinjer. I don't understand why. I really don't understand why they do it after I have pronounced it for them. So my name came with awkward pronunciation and a built-in dipwad-o-meter. Cool.

It also-- like other names, including Sullivan, Smith, Jones, and many more-- came with a built-in nickname. Just as Bob Sullivan is destined to be Sully, and Mike Smith is destined to be Smitty, I was destined to be yet another Olie. I share the nickname with my brothers, who are also Olies. Or Oli, in the Latin.

When I was a college student, and later as a teacher, I got a reputation for being a bit of a trivia source. I was, like, your go-to-gal if you needed to phone a friend. If you were stuck in the Cash Cab, I was your shout out. Hence came the nickname Olie Wan Kanobe, after the Jedi of a similar tome. "Help us, Olie Wan Kanobe, you're our only hope." And in true jedi fashion I often did. Cuz I'm all made of the wisdom and stuff.

There were variations. My students called me Ms. Olinger, which became Ms. Olie, and later Mazola, Corn Goodness.

Shut up. They were kids and I let them so they'd like me.

Later, when I met Ahmed, a new nickname just for him was inevitable. He tried gaemil for a while, which means "jewel." It was funky to say and spell, and before long went away. But around the time we started to get serious he would, occasionally, call me "Badjia," which is both a place somewhere in Africa and a rare, infrequently used Kurdish word that means "exquisite," or more accurately "unattainable." Ahmed says it kind of slushy and soft... bahh zha, the "dj" sort of like Doctor Zhivago. It was explained to me that the word usually applied to a gem, or an artifact that was unique or incredibly rare, therefore precious. And yes... I am blushing as I type that.

Shut up, it wasn't my idea.

At this point in our relationship he only calls me Chrissy or Christine when he's speaking to somebody else. Usually it's Badjia, my Badjia, or DammitChristine, which I believe is actually my given name. Not sure. The birth certificate is blurry.

His family calls me Badjia, or Ahmed's Badjia, or Our Badjia... or, may heaven help me, The Badjia. I blame his father for that one. Yes, I am talking to YOU, Khalid. Deal with it.

On Romance Divas and a few other forums and chats I am known as Shanda Lear. I am always delighted to discover there are herds of people online who actually think that's my name. Sometimes when I meet them in person I get to see them say it out loud for the first time, make the little "O" of discovery, and laugh out loud as they figure it out.

It's pronounced Shanda rhymes with panda and Lear rhymes with spear.

*waiting quietly for a moment*

See, you got it!!!

Is a Pen Name a Nickname?

Unlike the other Fictionistas, I've never really had a nickname.

Lots of people get nicknames as a diminutive of their first name. Not me. "Amanda Brice" is actually my pen name, Amanda being my real-life middle name. And my real first name (Heather) isn't really conducive to nicknames, either by shortening it or cuteseyfying it. (Yes, I made that word up. Deal with it.)

Others get their nicknames because they're involved in sports. I never was. Sure, I'm a diehard sports fan now, since college, but I was a total girly-girl in my earlier days. And dancers don't really give each other nicknames. *shrugs*

The closest thing I've ever had to a nickname was in junior high, when my friend Amy started jokingly calling me Swan. It was a reference to the fact that I was way into dance (ie, Swan Lake), but wasn't exactly complimentary. Rather, it came from the fact that she thought that sometimes I would get way too emotional, and throw a hissy fit like a little primadonna. She called that my "dying swan act."

Yeah, nice, huh? Fortunately, it didn't stick.

So I guess the only nickname I've really ever had is Amanda. This came about when I had traveled with my high school French class to France and Switzerland over Spring Break junior year. We were over there for 2 weeks, 6 days of which were spent living with families in Nice, in the south of France.

The family I lived with couldn't pronounce my real name to save their lives. So, fed up with the butchering of my name, eventually I gave up and suggested that they call me Amanda. Ah-mahn-dah was much nicer sounder than Ee-zair, so it just stuck.

Fast forward almost 4 years, to when I spent a semester in college studying at the Sorbonne. I just went straight to using my middle name that semester, and eventually got used to answering to it.

So when it came time to choose a pen name, Amanda was the obvious choice.

So I guess that's my nickname, if a pen name counts.

Rhonda's Nicknames

Well, it's nicknames week at Fictionistas. I've had plenty o' nicknames in my time. In elementary school, they used to call me Ton of Staples (my last name is Stapleton. hah. very clever, guys). And of course, I was always asked if I did, indeed, HAVE a ton of staples. Yes, I actually carry a whole metric ton of staples in my backpack, just for this sort of occasion. Thanks for asking. Buh-bye.

Middle school and high school saw my nicknames changing slightly, but one still focused on my last name. I was called Stapletong for a while because of a typo in a yearbook. LOL fun. I was also Rho (with a line over the O) for a long time to my close friends in high school. Some friends also teasingly called me Rhoda, since my name was often misspelled. *sigh*

Nowadays, my nicknames are much more varied and unusual. The manpanion often calls me Mongo sometimes because of my freakish mutant strength that appears out of nowhere (e.g., I went to get a paper towel off the holder and somehow ripped the entire holder off the wall)--okay, I admit, that one makes me laugh. He also calls me Rhonda Loud (gee, how did I earn THAT one? ROFL). The kids, who think they are VERY funny, like to call me Gronda (a blend of "grandma" and "rhonda"--kids, you're grounded for that one, LOL), or Momda (a blend of "mom" and "rhonda").

Did you guys ever have nicknames that made fun of your name? Ever have a typo or misprint that earned you a nickname? Share!

What did you call me? AKA Nicknames, take two.

Early on in my school career, I thought having a nickname would be cool. Don't we all think that at some point? Unfortunately, I ended up with an abbreviation of my last name: Bruno.

Yeah, I was in elementary school, already insecure about my height because I was the tallest one (boys included) in my class, self-conscious about my glasses and then I got saddled with that gem. Brilliant.

Fortunately, it didn't last.

Then one of my brother's girlfriends started calling me Krissy. Let me just say that no one, and I mean NO ONE calls me that. I won't answer to it. Refuse, actually. Probably because my brother used to torture me by repeating it over and over in a sing-song voice. But for her, it was somehow okay. Thankfully, he didn't date her that long.

Lately, Mel's dubbed me Kitteh, which probably suits me as I am slightly psycho in my love for all things feline. (No, I am not wearing a t-shirt with cats on it. I just love my furbabies in a way that comes close to unnatural.) Plus it starts with K. And I have to say, it's miles above Bruno.

Have you ever had a nickname you didn't want?

theme week: Nicknames

We here at Fictionistas thought we'd talk about nicknames this week. Weird ones, bad ones, unwanted ones...

I've had my share of nicknames over the years. Starting at a very young age my daddy called me Lissa Jane. (My middle name is not Jane, btw) Actually, I thought about using that name as a pen name for a long time.

In 6th grade, I ate french fries every day at lunch. That was pretty much all I ate...and the newest nickname was born. Every tshirt I owned had French Fry on the back.

I tried out Missy for about a half a second. That didn't stick and boy am I glad. I'm just not a Missy.

I was called McKenzie for the majority of my sports life. Or MelMac. When the tv show ALF hit the airwaves, MelMac took on a whole new meaning. That was the planet Alf came from. I didn't really want to be the alien planet, though I'm still called MelMac by some old friends to this day.

I was also called '33' a lot. It was my basketball and softball number. And yes, I still hear 33 on occasion.

But my real nickname is the one I still go by today. Mel. Most everyone calls me Mel except for my parents and Fishdog. Mel is the name I prefer but when I introduce myself as Mel Francis, I always have to let them know my name is Melissa--not Melanie or Melody.

My kids have nicknames. Goose is my oldest son and Monkey is the youngest. Goose's friends also call him Nemo. I'm guessing that's going to be the name that sticks for him--except for his parents. He'll always be our Goose. Monkey will be in 6th grade next year. I'm guessing he'll be getting his own nickname pretty soon. It's always fun to see what they decide on. I never would've guessed my oldest would become Nemo, but he has. And oddly enough, it fits.

What nicknames have you had over the years? Anything stick that you wish wouldn't have?