This week I have been thinking about nicknames, at university I knew people from Stephenson hall (awful place in Sheffield, for wanna-be-at-a-redbrick people, football, lager, shouting - sorry people who this applies to):
Pies (eats lots of)
Big Tom
Little Tom (self explanatory)
Stove (because he stole one on the first night)
Chewy (from Chu bacca)
Mumra (thunder cats duvet cover)
Camp Ben (skinny knees)
Stinio
Sexy Dan (true)
SG
the Silver Fox
PA (Paul-Andre, hon hon hon, that was supposed to be a French chuckle)
All fine and good.
Do you know what my nickname was?
Flem, that’s right Flem, or if someone was being extra friendly flemWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, flemwah.
Why am I annoyed? Because the first thing that springs to mind is not this:
The term Flemings (Dutch: Vlamingen) denotes the majority population in Flanders (the northern half of Belgium). The exact definition of who is Flemish, and the nature of the Flemish people are controversial issues, in the context of Belgian politics. Identification of the Flemings as a separate ‘people’ (I don’t like the sound of this we are “people” too) is what the main Flemish separatist party, Vlaams Belang, wants to achieve and to separate from Belgium. OO ER, I never knew just being me was making a political statement, lest said soonest mended.
No, what makes me cross, is that my nickname reminds people of this:
Phlegm (pronounced flem) is sticky fluid secreted by the typhoid membranes of animals. Its definition is limited to the mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that from the nasal passages, and particularly that which is expelled by coughing. Its composition varies, depending on climate, genetics and state of the immune system, but basically is a water-based gel consisting in glycoproteins, immunoglobulins, lipids, etc.
In Hippocratic medicine, and for hundreds of years until about the 19th century, phlegm was counted as one of the four bodily humours, possessing the properties of coldness and wetness, and was responsible for apathetic and sluggish behaviour. This old belief is preserved in the word phlegmatic.
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7 Responses to “Would you rather be european or mucus?”
Posted: Mar 1st, 2007 at 9:12 am
I have had many nicknames inlcuded; Snackers, Raquers (my particular fav), Ratchet, Aaaaarrrris - emphasis in the A there!
Posted: Mar 1st, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Nelly the elephant was my nickname. Yes Nelly rhymes with Ellie, but I was also a large child!! With glasses. Character building that’s what I say!!
I’ve also gone by any of the following:
Eggle
Elloween
Elizabethan
Elsation
Elsalvador
Elmo
Elster
Elbow
Elly welly
Els Bels
Ellie Gray bum
Posted: Mar 1st, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Ooo - I also get Ratchet, Raquel Flemong and Superboobs
Posted: Mar 1st, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I have had several nick names -
At school: Ali Pally
At drama school: Balice (no idea!) & Bob
My boyfriend calls me: Ali, Alice Badalice, Missus & Little Un (I’m a foot smaller than him)
My mum: Ailish (irish version of my name)
My sister: Big SM (SoulMate)
My friends: A-list & Alice the Camel & Alister Bumble/Ali B
People who don’t know me and mistakenly think they are funny and original: (sing) Who the f***k is Alice
I’ll answer to most of the above, depends…..obviously you try the one directly above and I’ll just roll my eyes and walk away.
Posted: Mar 1st, 2007 at 3:49 pm
My name is Andrew TO LFTS - I’ll let you work out what it becomes with a little additional penmanship. Also known as Toffee apple
or writing the name backwards
St. Flot Werdna
Posted: Mar 2nd, 2007 at 3:26 pm
My nickname from school was (and still is) Pandora. There are lots of guesses as to why this is, but it’s all down to a school friend’s mum deciding there were many uncanny similarities between me and Pandora from Adrian Mole. I’m not going into further details, and I still haven’t decided if it’s flattering or insulting but I think Pan is going to stick with me for the rest of my life…
Posted: Mar 2nd, 2007 at 4:50 pm
I have been forever dogged by bad jokes, puns and rhymes to do with ‘chance’. The worst was definitely “forte” (meaning ‘by chance’ in Latin, can you tell that I went to private school?)
When I interrailed around Europe with a friend we adopted pseudonyms, so my self-chosen nickname is Alfonso Calvino