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NICKNAMES
A nickname is the hardest
stone that the devil can throw at a man, yet Irish people
have shown an unparalleled endurance to bear this hardest
stone. One of the great contributions of the Irish race
is that they never lose their sense of humour. Even
adversity has not killed their instinct of humour. It
has on the other hand, sharpened it to boost their morale
and love of boisterous life.
Hundreds of years ago,
many people believed that names were a person's private
property and that they shouldn't be spoken too often.
Because of this, people started using extra names to
call each other, and in Old England, these were called
"eke names," which means "added names."
Over the years, people began pronouncing the word "eke"
incorrectly, and it eventually changed to "nickname."
Nicknames are perhaps
the most fascinating surnames -- but not always very
flattering to one's ancestor. We have learned that in
the old days nicknames were a lot more common than today.
They were often used to identify different people with
the same surname. A person is seldom lucky enough to
choose their nickname. It is bestowed to them at the
bestower's whim and for the bestower's pleasure. Beauty
is said to be in the eye of the beholder. Similarily,
the purpose of a nickname is in the mind of the baptist.
The Platonic Form of a nickname is the pleasure it brings
the creator. Nicknames, are deadly accurate in Ireland.
It is a skill that brings out the sharp mind of the
creator and what ever town land in this country of ours
you stand in you will find a John the Baptist!!
Well, your real name
was given to you when you were just a new born baby,
before you developed your personality, talents, and
looks. Because of this, your name actually says more
about your parents than it does about you. They may
have named you after a relative or a famous person they
admire, or even because they just liked the sound of
a name. But your other name, the one your friends call
you, probably comes from something specific about you.
Nicknames like these are a way of giving meaning to
a name, and letting a name describe the person who has
it. The name Sean doesn't really tell you anything about
a person, but if Sean is also known as Big Sean, you
can guess that he has a large frame, or that he has
an enormous personality.
We usually don't mind
when people call us by a positive nickname, and it feels
good when these nicknames get repeated. But when classmates
use negative nicknames as a way of keeping someone out
of a group, of gaining power over someone, or of making
themselves feel more important. You may have known a
student in your class who always came up with nicknames
for the other students. Some students used to feel cool
by acting like the official "nicknamer." This
gave them a feeling of power, but that power often came
at the cost of making other students feel bad. Those
who peg others with hurtful nicknames are often trying
to cover up the fact that they really feel bad about
themselves. Like other kinds of insults, a cruel nickname
can be used to make a young fellow feel left out or
angry. Sometimes they're even nastier than most ways
of being mean because they can be so hard to shake.
Memories
of Nicknames and Freshford
This year marked 30 years
since I first went to Secondary School and since then,
I have met up with very few of the lads that I went
to school with. This is mainly because I live a distance
from the college but to my surprise after the recent
launch of the Mill Hill Past Pupils Association some
of my former school friends are now living less that
twenty five miles from me! It is a great pleasure to
meet up with and talk to all of these friends again.
I have come to realise
that although we are a bit older and more mature, those
of us who have already met were recalling past days
and remembering our school friends solely by their nicknames!
It is the same when we receive e-mails and reply to
messages we still get great pleasure out of teasing
each other, just like in school days. I guess, boys
will always be boys.
One of the things that
I remember is the nicknames we had for some of our school
friends. Now those of you who went to other boys' schools
might know only too well how disgusting some of the
names that you called your friends were. I honestly
do not think that it went over the top in Freshford.
Many of these names stick with people until adulthood.
Most if all of my classmates nicknames described some
trait about personality or individual character and
on recalling some of the names like Lugs, Hoggits, Marilyn,
Cutie, Doobie, Mugs, Tadpole, Stubbles, Bitch, Wirey,
Nail, Jock, Hairy, Rocks, Geraffe, Snot and Piggy we
all probably know a similar characters in our adult
life!!
Some colleagues in the
school would have been named for their behaviour, fathers
occupation, locality, extra-ordinary physique or temperament,
even after peculiar circumstances or incidents, or for
their academic or sporting abilities. Examples that
come to mind are: Skunk, Beefy, PC, Pops the Lodger,
Porky, Dudley, Moses, Ringo, Coconut, Doc, Hopper, Mucky,
Chops, Bleach, Copper, Goofey, Horse, Fish, Mousey,
Skippy, Goosey, Rooster, Foxy, Pigeon or as one former
colleague recently suggested " the collection of
us again would make quite a menagerie if complemented
by a Gander"
The method of nicknaming
a younger brother fell short of simply reviewing your
character and you were more than likely titled with
your older brother's nickname. It really did not matter
how it suited your personality. We had many examples
Basher, Ballymac, Titch, Screw, Dubtex, Squirty, etc.
and I presume it is a tradition that occurs in many
schools.
I will not even venture
down the road of our teachers or the priest's nicknames!!
I will leave that to their own classmates!!. I do hope
that anybody reading this little memory will not be
offended if his nickname was mentioned or in fact left
out! It is solely an nostalgic exercise and one part
of my life that I have very fond memories of. I am delighted
that a Past Pupils Association is formed and I hope
that through its activities it will help me to relive
some of those great days again.
(SG March 03)
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