Got a Nickname, Tell Us How It Came About!

John E Gunter | November 3, 2004
ScottieHo explained how he got his nickname in a recent discussion, and I also explained how I got one of mine. It gave me an idea to start this discussion about nicknames. I don't remember seeing one in the past, but there probably was one.

But hey, if you've got a nickname, let us know about it. The nickname can be one that you chose or was given to you, doesn't matter; just tell us about it, if you feel comfortable.

I actually have a couple, but JohnPrime is one of the two main ones I use. I'll tell you the story about the second one I use, which was given to me by my co-workers.

The name is Skunkape. I don't know how much people know about the legendary creature that lives in Florida known as the Skunkape, but basically it's a yeti, bigfoot, etc. At least, that's what it's supposed to be. Funny, how with all the technology we have, we've never had proof these creatures exist, but this is not a discussion about Bigfoot.

So how did I get that name?

Well, if you can tell by my picture, I'm quite a hairy fellow. When I had my long hair that just made me even more hairy. At the time, my wife and I would go to visit her family and our friends in Miami quite a few times a year. According to the guys at work, smart asses that they were, every time I went to Miami, there would be a Skunkape sighting.

I think the wacko who tracks them actually did supposedly sight one at least one time, but for the most part, the jerks at work were just being jerks. Course, we were all jerks to each other, but that's another story also.

So since I would go to Miami and the Skunkape would show up at about the same time, down near Miami, my funny co-workers started calling me Skunkape, which I actually liked, so it's a nickname I use.

Below is the link to the wacko’s page…

(link)

John

Mike Eberhart | November 3, 2004
Well, I have two nicknames. One of them is never used anymore. My first one was Oggie. I got that because when I was like 2 or 3, I couldn't say Mike, and it came out Oggie. So my parents just stuck me with that. They used for awhile, but it ended probably when I was about 8 or 9. My new nickname is Psycho Mike. I was given that one by some friends here at work. The reason I got that was because of a volleyball game we were playing in. My boss was on the court with me, and she is about 5'3" and about 98lbs. I made a great block on a guy and then spiked it for a point. I was really fired up about it, and my team was giving me high fives. My boss walked over and put her hand out for a five and I hit her hand a little too hard. I bruised the palm of her hand and most of her wrist because of my five I gave her. So, ever since then, that's what I get called in the office. Plus it has a little to do with my opinions of different issues... :)

Lori Lancaster | November 3, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | November 3, 2004
Changito! I LOVE that! I'm going to start calling SOMEONE that. =)I was called "Tort" briefly in middle school because of some stupid joke about my last name - It was originally (back in the day) Grigolini, and somehow there was "Linguini Von Grigolini, but you can call me Tort! or something. Melissa Erin would know. I know it doesn't make any sense.I was called "Anner" a lot in high school, mostly because of my AOL screen name, Agreanner. Or maybe that came later. Who knows?I'm just Anna, now. Although my boss at work calls me "Ah-na." I prefer An-na.

Mike Eberhart | November 3, 2004
Oh, I did think of one more. It's a variation of my first name. My close friends all call me Mikie. But that's about it.

Scott Horowitz | November 3, 2004
Well. I've been called variations of my nickname. Lazy friends call me Ho. Others spell it ScottyHo, when I prefer the 'ie' instead of the 'y'. My online tag is Muad'dib (big fan of Dune by Frank Herbert). That's about it.

Erik Bates | November 3, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | November 3, 2004
Dr. Phizz? =)

John E Gunter | November 3, 2004
I'd have to say Phizz is a cool nickname. Much better than fizzle. :-)

Course, Big E is good to, though not everyone likes having Big stuck infront of their name.

John

Anna Gregoline | November 3, 2004
I sure wouldn't mind. Big Anna!

Of course, if you knew me in real life, you'd laugh. I'm quite small.

Erik Bates | November 3, 2004
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John E Gunter | November 3, 2004
Put it on your license plate? At the very least, people will begin to see it and probably ask about it. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to get people to start using it.

John

Scott Hardie | November 4, 2004
John's probably thinking of me when he says that not everybody likes to have "Big" in front of their name. In our gaming group, each of the Johns got a nickname to differentiate them, which is how John Gunter wound up with JohnPrime, being the fourth one (I guess). John Edwards, being the tallest and fattest one, was a no-brainer: Big John. When I joined the group, I was about the same size as John Edwards, so they started calling me Big Scott. Not only do I not appreciate being identified by my body size, but it offended my sense of logic, since there was no "Little Scott" present. It didn't take much to kill that nickname, so thanks for being kind when you learned I didn't like it, John.

I haven't got any other good ones to submit, because I resist nicknames in general. Please don't call me "Hardie" just because there's another Scott H here; just call me "Scott Hardie" when you have to, and "Scott" otherwise. Matt Preston for some reason calls me "Captain Pickles" on occasion, but I think that's making fun of the fact that I don't have any real nickname. I am also sometimes known as "Chickenmaster," but that's not a story I'm going to tell here.

Scott Horowitz | November 4, 2004
On the info page, maybe add a "nickname" field?

Steve West | November 4, 2004
When I was a kid, there were about a dozen kids in my neighborhood who regularly hung out and played together. Some of us were particularly close and decided to give ourselves nicknames to separate ourselves as a group within the group. They all had animal connotations like Harry the Horse, Dave the Dog and Ray the Rat. Mine was Steve the Beave. The few of those friends still alive will call now and then and refer to me as Beave - No one else.

Scott Horowitz | November 4, 2004
Steve, was there a 'Wally' in the group?

David Mitzman | November 4, 2004
First week of H.S. as a freshman, I was sitting at a table for some eats and a bunch of seniors sat down next to me. One started smiling and chuckeld so I asked "what's so funny?"
He said "What's your name?"
Me: "Dave"
Him: "You look a lot like Kevin Arnold from the Wonder Years. We're going to call you Fred from now on."

So from that point on in H.S., I was called Fred.

In senior year of H.S., my Physics teacher started calling me "The Mitzman" and that nickname kinda stuck.

Although my dad has called me "schmuck" on occasion and so has Scott Horowitz ---- edited for the schmuck scott horowitz.

Scott Horowitz | November 4, 2004
Hey, I also call you a schmuck... I demand you edit your post and say that I call you "schmuck" also.


hehehe

One time, in HS, my social studies teacher called me "Howie" (had a former student named Howie Horowitz at one point) and for some stupid reason everyone started calling me that... never understood it.

Scott Hardie | November 4, 2004
Ok, evidently I need to read the other discussions in their entirety before I write my first reply of the evening; this stuff bleeds around a lot. I should have figured, since John mentioned the other discussion when he started this one. Disregard my explanation of JohnPrime.

Amy Austin | November 4, 2004
Yeah, I remember you saying "don't" to "Hardie", and I immediately felt bad because I had done so, too -- sorry, Scott. Seems a natural thing for me to call people by their lasts, though... I was called a lot of things with regards to my last name, even before the USN: "Austin City Limits" (after the country music show), "Stone Cold", and, of course, "Austin Powers" by my younger shipmates... but to really date yourself with a 70s flashback, you'd ask if I were the daughter of "Steve Austin, astronaut" -- something I had gone for YEARS without hearing until a few months ago, and I laughed.

Scott Hardie | November 4, 2004
I don't like being called by my last name, though I could understand you or Todd doing it because you just started to get to know me. I don't need people who have been my friends for years suddenly calling me something different. ;-)

I forgot to mention "Hard-D," the nickname that Anna and Daniel still use every once in a while. I think that one also began to point out the lack of a proper nickname, but I could be wrong.

Kris Weberg | November 4, 2004
I've never really had a nickname. I usually end up going by my last name, due to a tragic preponderance of "Chris"tenings in the world.

And for the record, I have no interest in a nickname. Solicitations not accepted.

Amy Austin | November 4, 2004
"Steve, was there a 'Wally' in the group?"

I meant to comment on that... I had the same thought, and it reminded me of my high school best friend. She thought my family was very Cleaver-like in certain ways, and we used to joke that she was like Eddie Haskell -- always coming over and charming my folks and such, while in reality hiding an "evil streak". Since I was the oldest, my younger sister had to be "The Beave"... thus making me, of course, Wally. She even wrote notes to me that way, addressed to Wally, from Eddie. Kind of funny, now I'm married to an "E". ;>)

John E Gunter | November 4, 2004
Speaking of the "Hard-D" nickname, I'm sure you've heard John Edwards call me "Johnny" occasionally Scott Hardie, well he's doing that because most times I write my name John E. Gunter. Because I always included my middle initial, the boys started calling my "JohnE" with emphsis on the E.

So when I started working in the film industry in Miami, I put the name JohnE on most of the t-shirts that the production company gave me to wear. If I had stayed in the industry, I had planned on getting my screen credits that way, but that never happened.

But that name still follows me around, just not for the same reasons. :-)

John

Anna Gregoline | November 4, 2004
I just used "Hard-D" for fun, cause I like the idea of a least ONE of my friends being a hard-core rapper. And that idea is particularly funny with you for some reason, Scott. It's hard to imagine. =)

But I'll stop with the "Hardie," I didn't know it bothered you.

Lori Lancaster | November 4, 2004
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Scott Horowitz | November 4, 2004
I'm still looking for someone that I can call "little bitch" I just haven't found the right person yet.

Though here's a funny anecdote about how Dave Mitzman and I began calling my former roommate "Expanding Muffler Boy"

So, Dave and a bunch of people came to visit me at college. A large group of us were going out for dinner that night, so we took several cars. Dave rode in the car with my roommate, Mike. He's had his car for about 5 months at this point, and it is the first time that he loaded it with 5 people. He goes over the speed bump and hears/feels the bottom of the car graze the speed bump. He gets out of the car and starts flipping out. He then comes back into the car and announces "I know what the problem is. It is very cold outside, and the cold caused the metal in my muffler to expand." To which Mitzman responds, "Cold causes metal to contract dumbass. We probably just weighed the car down." He then says "oh" gets back into the car, and proceeds to meet everyone up at the Outback.

We still make fun of him for this to this day.