What's in a Nickname?

What's in a Nickname?

 

Something that your family or friends call you with affection?

Or did your parents name you with the express intent of shortening your name to a nickname? My aunt and uncle did that to one of my cousins. Then said cousin turned around and did it to her son.

What about co-workers? Did someone stick you with a moniker for some reason?

Do you even LIKE your nickname(s)? Those that your family use, they can be embarrassing. And you can be sure that for whatever reason, at least one person you work with will be someone you don't like, and they'll always use the nickname that they, or somebody else gave you.

I've had several nicknames over the years. In elementary school, the one they chose was used for bullying and making fun of me. In junior high and high school, only my core group of friends called me by a nickname, which I have no idea how I got...Bon-Bon. But out of that core group, there was one who wasn't allowed to use it, and he knew it. 

In my adult years, Bon-Bon stuck around for awhile in the work place, but it slowly tapered off.

There is still one co-worker that calls me by that name, I don't recall him ever calling me by my given name. Yes it's a name of friendship, but I also believe there is a bit of "naughty" in the use, because I happen to be well endowed.

I have customers that have their own nicknames for me also. One is recent, within the last year or so. He started calling me Bonneville. Not sure why, but okay. Another gentleman that always buys lottery used to call me Easy Money, I say used to, because the last few times he's been in the store, he's called me by my given name. And it concerns me, he wasn't in as much for awhile, and he looks like he may have been ill. But that's not what this is about. 

I realized a few years back that most of my closest friends don't call my by any nicknames whatsoever. Except for one. And we play off of each others names with the same ending (he doesn't like his family's nickname for him, so I try to make it bearable). I only realized it after I noticed that a few facebook friends had nicknames for me.

A dear friend calls me Bonnie Lass, hence the page name. Another calls me Bonz and still a couple of others calls me Bonster. Then there's a friend, whom I inadvertently started calling by a nickname that I found out later his late wife used to call him. He has his own special nickname for me, and he's the only one that uses it.

My family has their own variations of my given name that they use. Bonnie Kay, B.K., Kay or even; *shudders* Kay-Kay. We call my brother "Stretch" because he's so much taller than the rest of us. We also shorten his name to Kev sometimes.  

When I was in school, we had a young man nicknamed "Smurf" because he was the shortest person in our class. And in a completely different state, I knew a "Turtle," because he was the tallest and always hunched his shoulders, so he looked like he was pulling his head into his shell. And to this day, I couldn't tell you what their given names were, I don't recall ever hearing it (or it's been so long ago I just don't remember!)

Oh, and don't even get me started on "Boo" and "Bae!" I despise those words with a passion, someone I worked with and didn't like, and I was somewhat afraid of, used to call me Boo, she knew me for almost fifteen years and she could never realize that I was an adult. Bae is just, just...I don't know, it gives me the heebie jeebies hearing that word.

And sorry folks, as of this typing, there is only one person I would allow to call me this one:

So friends, what are nicknames that you've been blessed or cursed with?