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Revision as of 12:34, 23 December 2006
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A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or thing's real name (for example, Bob, Rob, Robby, Robbie, Robi, Bobby, Rab, Bert, Bertie, Butch, Bobbers, Bobert, Beto, Bobadito, and Robban (in Sweden), are all short for Robert). As a concept, it is distinct from both pseudonym and stage name, and also from title (for example, City of Fountains), although there may be overlap in these concepts.
A nickname is sometimes considered desirable, symbolising a form of acceptance, but can often be a form of ridicule. Many performing artists and actors have nicknames, which in years past were called a stage name.
A nickname may also be known as a pet name, shortened name, truncated name, alternate name, name derivative, associated name, hypocoristic form of a name, diminutized name, or diminuted name.
Etymology: In Middle English the word was ekename (from the verb to eke, "enlarge"; compare Swedish öknamn). Later, an ekename developed into a nickname when the "n" shifted through junctural metanalysis.
In Viking societies, many people had nicknames heiti, viðrnefni or uppnefi which were used in addition to, or instead of their family names. In some circumstances the giving of a nickname had a special status in Viking society in that it created a relationship between the name maker and the recipient of the nickname, to the extent that the creation of a nickname also often entailed a formal ceremony and an exchange of gifts.
In the context of information technology, a nickname is a common synonym for username and is also known as a handle, especially within hacker culture. A nickname in this context is ordinarily associated with any system that requires a login, such as a website, instant messaging system, or a private network. Such nicknames are routinely employed to enable a certain level of security or anonymity, or for other reasons.
Nicknames for people
Sometimes related to "alias", a personal nickname may be a sarcastic, or simply ironic, reference, e.g., Curly for someone with straight hair (or no hair at all); this form was typical in Australian English in the mid 20th Century but less so in current parlance, e.g:
- Tiny for a very large person
- Dulz for a cross eyed person (offensive)
- Shorty for a very tall person
- Slick for a clumsy, awkward or shy person
- Slim for a fat person
It may reference a person's physical characteristics. Examples:
- Frankie or Curly (ironic) for a bald person
- Tubtubs or Chubby for a fat person (generally offensive)
- Lofty, Lanksta or Stretch for a tall person
- Four-eyes for a person with glasses (offensive)
- Specs for a person who wears glasses
- Wheels for a person who uses a wheelchair (generally considered offensive)
- Carrot-top, Ginger, Red, Rusty, or Bluey (Australian) for a person with red hair
- Blondie for a person with blond hair
- Grey for a person who has a very light blue eye color, also called the Grey eye color.
- Mushmouth (or Mush) for a person with a Southern U.S. drawl.
This is particularly common in Spanish-speaking cultures, with nicknames like Flaco (thin) or Palito (little stick), El Gordo (the fat guy), Chino for anyone who looks vaguely Asian, or Gato (cat) for someone with blue or green eyes.
It may relate to a specific incident or action. Example: Capability Brown was so called because he used the word "capability" instead of "possibility". Other examples include: Chemical Ali and Comical Ali. Many fictional characters have nicknames relating to events: Examples include the Red Comet, White Tiger, Desert Tiger and Hawk of Endymion.
It may compare the person with a famous or fictional character. Examples:
It may be related to their place of origin or place of residence. Example:
- Gloucester, Paul from Gloucester or PFG for someone named Paul who comes from a town called Gloucester.
It may refer to a person's political affiliation. Examples:
- Dipper for a member of Canada's New Democratic Party.
- Tory for a person affiliated with the United Kingdom's or Canada's Conservative Party
It may allude to a person's intelligence, such as:
- Encyclopedia, as in Donald Sobol's fictional child detective Leroy Brown
- Sherlock, in reference to A. C. Doyle's Sherlock Holmes
- Brainiac, as in the fictional DC Comics character
(These latter two are often also used sarcastically.)
A famous person's nickname may be unique to them:
- Tippecanoe for William Henry Harrison
- Dubya for George W. Bush, an exaggeration of Texan pronunciation of 'w', Bush's middle initial.
- Jack The Dripper for painter Jackson Pollock who created many of his works by dripping paint over horizontal canvas
- Gazza for English footballer Paul Gascoigne (though used more widely in Australia for Gary) and similar "zza" forms (Hezza, Prezza, etc) for other prominent personalities whose activities are frequently reported in the British press
- Champion Taylor for Mark Hanson (In reference to the band Hanson)
A person's nickname may have no traceable origin. For example, a person named "Brett" may be nicknamed "Scott" for no apparent reason, or a man who was named after a relative may ask his friends to call him "Chip" (as in "chip off the old block") to avoid confusion.
It may combine a person's name with a traditional association. For example, soldiers in the British army with the surname Smith are often nicknamed "Smudge" or "Smudger" in reference to the soot smudges that blacksmiths often sported as a result of their trade. Similarly, Royal Marines with the surname Miller often find themselves nicknamed "Dusty" or some such variant for similar reasons.
Nicknames of geographical places
Particularly with geographical places, it is important to distinguish between nickname and title. A nickname is almost always a brief term that is either friendly or derogatory and can be substituted for the real name at will. A title is usually a multi-word term, often created for promotional purposes, sometimes created as a putdown, that cannot be substituted for the real name at will. Most of the terms below are not nicknames; they are titles. For example, Kansas City is titled (or dubbed) 'Heart of America' and 'City of Fountains'; it is nicknamed KC. People will use KC very frequently in everyday speech as a friendly substitute for Kansas City; it is the popular nickname for the city. By contrast, probably only the tourist industry ever uses the term 'City of Fountains'; this is a title, not a nickname.
Cities
See also: list of city nicknames for a more comprehensive list.
- Heart of America (It's near the geographical center of America), City of Fountains (It has the most public fountains of any U.S. city), KC (also KCK when referring specifically to Kansas City, Kansas, and KCMO when referring specifically to Kansas City, Missouri) - Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri
- The Big Sweet Grass Basket, The Palmetto City, The Holy City, The Big C-H-S, The Marina City, Chucktown - Charleston, South Carolina
- Charm City - Baltimore, Maryland
- The Big Apple, "The City That Never Sleeps", "Gotham", "NYC", "The Naked City", "Evil Empire" - New York, New York
- "The Windy City", "Chi-Town", "Second City", "City of Big Shoulders", and "Hog-Butcher To The World" - Chicago, Illinois. (These last two are from the poem by Carl Sandburg; see also Nicknames for Chicago.)
- T-Dot - Toronto, Ontario
- The Forest City - Cleveland, Ohio, London, Ontario, and Rockford, Illinois
- The Big Easy, Cresent City, The Dirty Dirty, NOLA, The City that Care Forgot, The 504 - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Space City, Bayou City, H-Town, Oil Capital of the World - Houston, Texas
- The Holy City - Charleston, South Carolina
- Hotlanta/ATL/A-Town/The A - Atlanta, Georgia
- The Circle City, Indy, Nap Town (popular slang) - Indianapolis, Indiana
- Bluff City, City of Churches, River City, Blues City, Big M-Town (The Hernando de Soto bridge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:IMG_0095.JPG has a really big M on it), The M - Memphis, Tennessee
- Hammertown - Hamilton, Ontario
- The M.I.A. - Miami, Florida
- O-Town - Orlando, Florida
- The Magic City - Birmingham, Alabama, also Miami, Florida
- Mill City, City of Lakes, Twin Cities, Moscow on the Mississippi, San Francisco on the River - Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Brew City, Beer Town - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Motor City, De-twah (Mostly used by Michiganders),Dirty D, The D,Hockeytown, Motown, D-Town - Detroit, Michigan
- Music City, Cashville - Nashville, Tennessee
- Sin City - Las Vegas, Nevada
- Elm City - New Haven, CT
- D.C., The District, Chocolate City - Washington, D.C.
- The Mile-High City - Denver, Colorado
- The Big Smoke - London, United Kingdom, also Toronto, Canada
- "The Megacity" "Hogtown", "T.O.", "T-Dot" - Toronto, Canada
- "The Hammer", "Hammertown" or "Steeltown" - Hamilton, Ontario
- Van City - Vancouver, British Columbia
- Horse Capital of the World - Lexington, Kentucky
- Beantown, The Hub, Boss-town - Boston, Massachusetts
- Dot - Dorchester, Massachusetts
- Murderpan - Mattapan, Massachusetts (coined for high crime rate)
- Townie - Charlestown, Massachusetts
- Rozzi - Roslindale, Massachusetts
- Eastie - East Boston, Massachusetts
- Southie - South Boston, Massachusetts
- HP - Hyde Park, Massachusetts, also Highland Park, New Jersey
- Westie - West Roxbury, Massachusetts
- Wu-Town - Woburn, Massachusetts
- Cheesetown - Hopkins, Minnesota
- Flambo - Faribault, Minnesota
- City of Angels, La La Land, L.A., The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California
- Pearl of the Orient - Hong Kong and Manila both claim this nickname.
- Queen City of the South - Cebu City, Philippines
- Steel City, City of Bridges, City of Champions - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- The Emerald City, Jet City - Seattle, Washington
- The Gateway to the West, STL, The Lou - St. Louis, Missouri
- The Ingrown Empire - pejorative slang for the Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest) Spokane, Washington
- Crossroad of the Pacific - Honolulu, Hawaii
- The City of Lights and Flowers - Anchorage, Alaska
- Harbour City - Sydney, Australia
- City of Churches - Adelaide, Australia due to the overall large numbers of them in this city; also used in reference to Jonesboro, Arkansas
- The Most Livable City in the World - Melbourne, Australia. Became synonymous with the city after it frequented first place and top positions in various world city rankings.
- BrisVegas - Brisbane, Australia due to its similarities with Las Vegas as far as weather, nightlife (used ironically) and general atttractions.
- Winterpeg or "The Peg" - Winnipeg, Canada Due to the city's extremely cold weather and the idea that Winnipeg is the geographic centre of Canada.
- The Bridge City, The Hub City - Saskatoon, Canada due to Saskatoon having many bridges relative to its population and being the "hub" along many provincial highways, with convenient routes to other centres in the province and beyond.
- J-Ville, "Where Florida Begins" - Jacksonville, Florida
- "Team Ormond", Refers to heavy drinkers from the area - Ormond Beach, Florida
- Big D - Dallas, Texas
- "Where the West Begins," Funkytown, FW (pronounced "EFF-dub") - Fort Worth, Texas
- BK/BX- Boroughs in New York City Brooklyn, New York and Bronx, New York
- "Vah-Beach" - Virginia Beach, Virginia
- The Rocket City - Huntsville, Alabama
- Peanut Capital of the World - Dothan, Alabama
- The Springs - Colorado Springs, Colorado
- The Queen City, The 'Nati with 2 Sins, Cinci, Porkopolis, C-Nasty, Nasty Nati - Cincinnati
- CT - Canterbury, England
- The 'Noke - Roanoke, Virginia
- The City of Bridges - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- The Peg - Winnipeg, Manitoba
- The City of Champions - Edmonton, Alberta
- Title Town (refers to the Green Bay Packers) - Green Bay, Wisconsin
- The City of Light - Paris, France
- The Eternal City - Rome, Italy
- The Yo - Youngstown, Ohio (Also Known As: Little Chicago, The Hoboken of Ohio, The Eastcoast of Ohio, The City of Homes, The Steel City, The Steal City, The Rust(y) City, The. Y.O., Yompton, Yo-town, and Y-Town
- Raytown - Racine,Wisconsin (Also Known As: Racilla, Rayceezy, the Belle City, the Ray)
- Canny Toon - Newcastle Upon Tyne, England (used by locals)
- P-town, Stumptown, PDX, The City of Roses, The Rose City - Portland, Oregon
- The Old Pueblo - Tucson, Arizona
- The Valley of the Sun - Phoenix Metropolitan Area in Arizona, due to its very dry desert climate and abundance of natural sunlight.
Regions
- The Wet Coast - British Columbia, Canada; a play on "The West Coast" because that area of the country rains a lot
- Red states - states that strongly supported George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections
- Blue states - states that strongly supported Al Gore and John Kerry in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, respectively
- The Deep South, Bible Belt - Southern U.S.
- The Dirty South (usually the South Eastern States but not limited to the whole Old South, usually used among rappers)
- The Left Coast - the states of Washington, Oregon, and California in the United States; due to their location in the country and general support of "the left" (liberal political ideology).
- Bridge of the World, Heart of the Universe (Spanish: Puente del Mundo, Corazón del Universo) - Republic of Panama; due to the convergence of the principal trade routes through its Panama Canal
- The Third Coast- the cities and states that are on the Gulf Coast of the United States. (The term is also used in the film industry to refer to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex due to a large number of movies, commercials, etc. being filmed there – the "First Coast" is implied to be Hollywood and the "Second Coast" being New York.)
Nicknames for political terms
- Red - a communist, but can also mean a rebel who is against the government; inclining towards the left wing politically, as in a "Red Tory" in Canada, that is, a moderate conservative; also, ironically, a member or supporter of the United States Republican Party
- Blue - a member or supporter of the United States Democratic Party; a supporter of the Conservatives in Canada -- and a "Blue Tory" is a right wing conservative
- Pinko, Trot - a borderline communist
- Hawk - a person who supports and pursues aggressive foreign policies, such as going to war in order to achieve his/her goals
- Dove - a person who supports and pursues peaceful means to conduct foreign policy, as opposed to war
- Tory - a person belonging to the British or Canadian Conservative Party.
- Grit - a person belonging to the Liberal Party in Canada
- The Little Red Book - the book that contains quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, often called that because the book itself has a red cover and small enough to fit into a pocket
Nicknames for some common items
- boob tube, idiot box, telly, TV, goggle-box (UK), glass nipple - television
- bug or VW bug - Volkswagen Beetle
- head - toilet on a ship
- loo, john, potty, bog, can, shitter, dunny or dunny can (Australia) - toilet
- Old Glory - the Flag of the United States
- Puter - Computer
- Knowledge Box - Computer with the Internet
- Brew, Frat Soda, brewdog, bronson, brewski, Glug Glug, piss (Australia/UK) - Beer
- Weed, Mary Jane, pot, bud - Marijuana
Nicknames for professions
- Blue (southern US), Stripes, Zebra, Sisco - referee
- Beancounter - accountant
- Chippie, Wood Butcher - carpenter also a prostitute
- Cat - Jazz musician
- Chaps - chaplain in the Navy or Marine Corp
- Copper, Rozzer (Brit.), Bobby (Brit.), The Fuzz (plural), Cop, Pig/Bacon, Flatfoot, Blueboy, Po-po, Jakes., 5-0, Boy 'dem - police officer
- Doc, Sawbones, Quack - doctor
- Fed - agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or, the Federal Reserve
- Foodie, Food head - chef
- Geo - geologist or geophysicist
- Detec - Undercover police officer (specifically for their unmarked vehicles), gumshoe
- Loan Shark - an underworld, street corner type money lender with high interest rates and usually enforces re-payment with threats of physical violence - Leg Breaker usually refers to the loan shark's enforcer
- Narc - an undercover cop
- Roomie - room-mate, or sometimes an hotel employee
- Roughneck - oil rigger
- Sawbones - surgeon
- Shark, Ambulance Chaser, Shyster - lawyer
- Shovelbums - archaeological field technicians
- Shrink, Head Shrinker - psychiatrist
- Sparky- electrician
- Spook (usually a plural) - (U.S. military) intelligence agent
- Techie - Someone who works with, or has a talent for, technology
Nicknames for companies
- "Auntie" - British Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- "The Beeb" - British Broadcasting Corporation
- "Big Blue" - IBM, computer hardware/software manufacturer
- "The Big Eye" - CBS, broadcasting network
- "Bloblaws" or "Blah-Blahs" - Loblaws, Canadian supermarket chain
- "Bloodbath and Beyond" - Bed Bath and Beyond
- "Bugger King" - Burger King, global fast-food chain
- "Chevy" - Chevrolet, an automobile company
- "Crapple" - Apple Computer, a computer, software and consumer electronics manufacturer
- "Crappy Tire" - Canadian Tire, a Canadian hardgoods retailer
- "Great Yellow Father" - Eastman Kodak
- "Ho-Jo" - Howard Johnson's
- "Home Despot" - The Home Depot, a giant hardware store
- "Jacques Penné" - JCPenney clothing stores
- "Jack in the Crack" - Jack-in-the-Box
- "Kentaco Hut" - KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut combo restaurants.
- "K-Fry", "K-Fried" - KFC, American fried chicken restaurant chain
- "The Little Thief" - Little Chef, UK roadside restaurant
- "LockMart" or "Lock-Mart" - Lockheed Martin Corporation, Aerospace contractor
- "Long Juan Silvers" - Long John Silver's and Taco Bell combo restaurants
- "Lose-It" - Loomis, Canadian courier company
- "Ma Bell" - AT&T, American telephone company
- "Marks & Sparks" - Marks & Spencer, British department store chain
- "Mickey D's", "Golden Arches", "McDeath", "Rotten Ronnie's", "McDogchow", "McDick's", "McConvicts", "MacDo" mainly in France, though former usage common in Australia - McDonald's, global fast-food chain.
- "Macca's" or "McChucks" - (In Australia) McDonald's, global fast-food chain.
- "Monkey Ward", "Mental Ward" - Montgomery Wards defunct Department Store chain
- "M$," various versions of "Micro" plus an expression with or without various $-type signs; i.e. "Microsloth,"; or "The Borg" - Microsoft, software company
- "Mothercorp" - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian national broadcaster
- "Needless Markup" - Neiman Marcus, American upscale specialty retail department store
- "Office Despot" - Office Depot, Chain of office supply stores
- "OOPS" - UPS, American courier service
- "Pizza Slut", "Pizza Smut" - Pizza Hut, Global pizza chain
- "Scan dick", "Scandalic" - Scandic
- "Skandial" - Skandia
- "Slev" or "Sleven" - 7-Eleven
- "Snot Gothic", "Goth Stoppit", "Whiny Hole," "Hot Profit" - Hot Topic
- "Sooner-or-Later" - Purolator, Canadian courier company
- "Tar-Get" ("Get" pronounced "zhay")- Target retail store chain.
- "Timmy's," "Tim's" or "Timmy Ho's" - Tim Hortons, Canadian coffee and doughnut chain
- "Taco Hell", "Toxic Hell", "Baco Tell", "Buggering bells", "Taco Smell", "Toxic Bell", "Taco Beelzebub", "T-Bizzy", "Taco Death" - Taco Bell fast-food restaurant chain
- "Wally World", "Mall-Wart" or "Wal-Marde" (in Quebec, "marde" being slang for shit) - Wal-Mart, global chain of retail stores.
- "Weggies" - Wegmans Food Market inc.
- "Whole Paycheck" - Whole Foods Market
Nicknames for universities
- "Bama" for University of Alabama
- "Big Red" for Cornell University
- "Bobby-Gee's" for Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland
- "Caley", "Cal U", for Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland
- "Cal" for University of California, Berkeley
- "Carolina" for either of two schools:
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (used commonly in North Carolina, and sometimes by national media)
- University of South Carolina Columbia (used commonly in South Carolina)
- "Dick Cockton" for Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
- "Four C's By The Sea" for Cape Cod Community College in Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- "Funshawe" for Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, Canada
- "Harvard on the Hill" derogatory term used for local community colleges
- "Harvard on the Hudson" for Hudson Valley Community College
- "G-Dub" for The George Washington University, Washington, DC
- "Ikeys" for the University of Cape Town, South Africa
- "Kinda Sorta College" for Keene State College, New Hampshire
- "LA Tech" (pronounced "Lah Tech") for Louisiana Tech University
- "M-Dub" for University of Mary Washington
- "Marjons" for the College of St Mark & St John, Plymouth, UK
- "Maties" for the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
- "Mizzou" for University of Missouri–Columbia
- "Okie State" or "OK State" for Oklahoma State University, most commonly its main campus in Stillwater
- "Ole Miss" for University of Mississippi
- "Oxbridge" for University of Cambridge, UK and University of Oxford, UK. Mainly used to indicate the combination of these.
- "Pitt" for University of Pittsburgh
- "San Ho" for San José State University
- "SC" for University of Southern California
- "Snodfart" for Stanford University
- "Southern" for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
- "SUNY-Harlem" for Columbia University
- "Rut Rut" for Rutgers University
- "The 'Cuse" for Syracuse University
- "The Farm" for Monash University
- "The Stanford of the East" for Harvard University
- "The Joe" for Saint Joseph's University (Philadelphia, PA)
- "The No" for California State University, Fresno (aka Fresno State)
- "The Shop" for University of Melbourne
- "The U" for University of Miami football program, University of Utah, University of Minnesota
- "The Vols" for University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, flagship of the UT system AKA "Rocky Top", "UTK" (sometimes said 'ŭt K'), and "The Volunteers"
- "The Y" for Brigham Young University
- "The Yard" for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- "The Zoo" for Kalamazoo College
- "Tukkies" or "Tuks" for the University of Pretoria, South Africa
- "Ucla" (pronounced uk-luh) for University of California, Los Angeles
- "U-Dub" for University of Washington, University of Western Australia
- "UConn" for University of Connecticut
- "UMass" for University of Massachusetts; when used without a campus identifier, usually refers to its main campus in Amherst
- "Vandy" for Vanderbilt University
- "Wazzu" for Washington State University
- "Woo" for Western Oregon University
- "Zona" for University of Arizona
- "ZooMass" for University of Massachusetts Amherst
Military nicknames
- Airdales (sometimes Aerdales)-- U.S. Navy term for Air Force pilots or U.S. Navy aviators
- Barbarians - Derogatory term for members of the U.S. Military, referencing their brutality
- BB Stackers - U.S. Navy Ordnancemen
- Biggles - Australian Air Force Pilot
- Bin rat - Supply technician, Canadian Forces
- Blanket Stacker - members of Logistics or Engineering units
- Blue job, wallet head - Canadian Air Force
- Bootneck - British Royal Marines British Commandos
- Bubblehead - U.S. term for U.S. Navy submariners
- Chairforce, Air Farce, Flyboys, Zoomies - United States Air Force
- Crab fats, crabs - Members of the Royal Air Force
- D-boys, Delta boys, Deltas - Delta Force (U.S. Army)
- Dogface, gopher, grunt, cannon fodder, Bullet Stopper, Bushwacker, 11 Bang-Bang, 11 "Bravo" Infantard - infantry soldier (U.S. Army)
- Fire Dawgs - American Marine, Air Force, and Army Firefighters
- Floating Heads and Diggers - Australian Army Soldiers
- Frogs - Navy Frogmen
- G-men - government officials (FBI, CIA, DEA, ATF, etc.)
- G.I. - American soldier , also called "doughboys" before WWI
- Grunt - Infantry foot soldier
- Gunbunny - artillery soldier
- Leathernecks, jarheads, devil dogs, bullet sponge - U.S. marines
- Matelots, squids, swabbies, deck ape, deck monkey - sailors
- Pongos - British Army, Australian Army (As in 'Where ever the army goes, the pong goes')
- Puddle jumpers, shallow water sailors, weekend navy, Knee-deep Navy, puddle pirates, Gilligans - United States Coast Guard
- Raffies - Australian Air Force Personnel
- Redcap - British Military Police officer
- SEAL - Sea Air Land, Navy commando so widely respected and fraternal that no other name is allowed
- Squid - Sailor (offensive)
- White Mice - Vietnam War term for ARVN MP (after their white gloves, likely an allusion to Mickey Mouse)
- Zipperhead - armoured tank soldier, derived from their use of "zip up" to close hatches when under fire. A Vietnam War term for the Vietnamese
See also: List of nicknames of British Army regiments; Regimental nicknames of the Canadian Forces
Sports clubs and their nicknames
Sporting clubs are often given nicknames. These may or may not be incorporated into official names or be used by the club. The names of animals or colours are popular. Examples:
Football (soccer)
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Australian Rules Football
For players' nicknames, see: List of nicknames used in Australian rules
AFL
REPRESENTATIVE SIDES
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INTERNATIONAL
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Rugby Union
- All Blacks - New Zealand national team
- Baa-Baas - Barbarian F.C.
- Black Ferns - New Zealand women's national team
- Les Bleus - France national team
- British and Irish Lions (formerly the British Lions) - The touring rugby union team of the British Isles
- Canucks - Canada national team
- The Cherry Blossoms - Japan national team
- The Cherry and Whites - Gloucester RFC
- Eagles - USA national team
- The Exiles - London Irish
- 'Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles) - Tonga national team
- Leicester Tigers - Leicester Rugby Football Club
- Lelos - Georgia national team
- Makos - Tasman, New Zealand
- Manu Samoa - Samoa national team
- Mooloo Men - Waikato, New Zealand
- The Naki - Taranaki, New Zealand
- The Oaks - Romania national team
- Los Pumas - Argentina national team
- Reivers - Border Reivers, Scotland
- Springboks, Bokke or Amabokoboko - South African national team
- Steamers - Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
- Steelers - Counties Manukau, New Zealand
- The Tahs - Used affectionately by fans of the New South Wales rugby union team, the Waratahs
- Taniwha - Northland, New Zealand
- Los Teros - Uruguay national team
- Wallabies - Australia national team
- Warriors - Glasgow Warriors Rugby Football Club, Scotland
Rugby League
- The Bears - Russia national team
- Les Chanteclairs (The Cockerels) or Les Tricolores - France national team
- Kangaroos - Australia national team
- Kiwis - New Zealand national team
- Tomahawks - USA national team
Baseball
NBA Basketball
- Wolves, T-Wolves, T-bots, T-pups - Minnesota Timberwolves
- Knickerbockers, Knuckleheads (by haters) - New York Knicks (technically, the reverse is true, Knickerbockers being the full but rarely used team name).
- Blazers, Jail Blazers (Players on the team always get in trouble and example, Zach Randolph - Portland Trailblazers
- Mavs - Dallas Mavericks
- Fakers (by haters), Rapers (by haters, in reference to Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case)- Los Angeles Lakers
- Sixers - Philadelphia 76ers
- Sonics, or Supe's, or Hedgehogs - Seattle SuperSonics
- Raps or Craptors or Zoo Crew (for the bench) (by detracters) - Toronto Raptors
- Cavs - Cleveland Cavaliers
- The Celts, The Green, The C's - Boston Celtics
- The 'Stones - Detroit Pistons
- Da Bulls, Baby Bulls (New era) - Chicago Bulls
- Spazz (by haters) Utah Jazz
International Basketball
- Gli Azzurri - Italy national team
- Les Bleus - France national team
- Boomers - Australia men's national team
- The Dream Team - USA national team, especially the team at the 1992 Olympics
- Opals - Australia women's national team
- Tall Blacks - New Zealand men's national team
- Tall Ferns - New Zealand women's national team
Cricket
American Football
Canadian Football
- Calgary Stampeders - Stamps
- Edmonton Eskimos - Esks
- Hamilton Tiger-Cats - Ti-Cats
- Montreal Alouettes - Als
- Saskatchewan Roughriders - Riders
- Toronto Argonauts - Argos; Boatmen (team was founded by the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club in 1873)
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers - Bombers
Sports stadia and their nicknames
Australia
- Melbourne Cricket Ground - the 'G'
- Brisbane Cricket Ground - the Gabba (Located in Woolongabba)
- Subiaco Oval - Subi'
- Telstra Dome (Melbourne) - The Dome
- Skilled Stadium - The Cattery
- Olympic Park, Melbourne - The Graveyard
- Waverley Park - Arctic Park
- North Melbourne Cricket Ground - Arden Street
- Suncorp Stadium - Lang Park, The Cauldron
South America
- Boca Juniors Stadium - La Bombonera (The Chocolate Box)
- River Plate Stadium - El Monumental (The Monumental)
- Vélez Sársfield Stadium - El Fortín (The Fort)
- Estadio Club Atletico Rosario Central - " El Gigante de Arroyito" (the Giant of arroyito)
Britain
- Wembley Stadium - The Twin Towers (no longer exists due to stadium redevelopment)
- Old Trafford - The Theatre of Dreams
- Celtic Park - Paradise, Parkhead (area of Glasgow where the stadium is located)
- Twickenham - Headquarters (HQ)
- White Hart Lane - The Lane
- Kingsholm - Castle Grim
- Stamford Bridge - The Bridge
- City of Manchester Stadium - Eastlands
- Upton Park - The Academy of Football, a term more often used to describe the West Ham United club and especially its youth football programme.
Italy
- PalaDozza, Bologna - Il Madison
- Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan - San Siro
Netherlands
- Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam - De Kuip (The Tub)
United States
- Angel Stadium of Anaheim - The Big A, The Big Ed (when Edison International Field)
- AT&T Park - The Phone, McCovey Cove (the latter is actually the minor arm of San Francisco Bay just beyond the right-field fence)
- Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (defunct) - The Launching Pad (from the large number of home runs hit there)
- Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (University of Florida) - The Swamp
- Charlotte Y. Martin Centre (Gonzaga University) - The Kennel (derived from the school's nickname of "Bulldogs")
- Chase Field (formerly known as Bank One Ballpark) - The BOB
- Carrier Dome (Syracuse University) - The Loud House
- Darlington Raceway - The Track Too Tough to Tame, The Lady in Black
- Dean Smith Center - The Dean Dome
- Dodger Stadium - Chavez Ravine
- Dover International Speedway - The Monster Mile
- Fenway Park - The Fens
- Gillette Stadium - The Razor
- Heinz Field - The Mustard Palace, The Big Ketchup Bottle (Heinz Field has two giant Heinz ketchup bottles at the south end)
- The Home Depot Center (more specifically, its soccer stadium) - Victoria Street (by supporters of its occupants, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA); The Toolbox (by opposing fans)
- HP Pavilion - The Shark Tank, The Tank
- Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome - Thunderdome, Homerdome, Metrodump
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway - The Brickyard
- Jacobs Field - The Jake
- Joan C. Edwards Stadium (Marshall University) - The Joan
- Kauffman Stadium - The K
- Lambeau Field - The Frozen Tundra
- Legion Field - Old Gray Lady
- Lincoln Financial Field - The Linc
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum- The Grand Old Lady
- LP Field - The Woodshed
- M&T Bank Stadium - The Vault
- Madison Square Garden - The World's Most Famous Arena, The Garden, MSG
- McCarthey Athletic Center (Gonzaga University) - The New Kennel
- Mellon Arena - The Igloo
- Memorial Stadium (Clemson University) - Death Valley
- Michigan Stadium - The Big House
- Minute Maid Park - The Juice Box
- Monster Park - The Stick (from its original and future name of Candlestick Park)
- Notre Dame Stadium - The House That Rockne Built
- Ohio Stadium - The Horseshoe
- Oriole Park at Camden Yards - The Yard, Oriole Park, Camden Yards
- Paul Brown Stadium - The Jungle
- Qualcomm Stadium - The Q
- Quicken Loans Arena - The Q
- RFK Stadium - The Ref
- TD Banknorth Garden - The Garden
- Tiger Stadium (LSU) - Death Valley
- Tropicana Field - The Trop, The Juicer
- Turner Field - The Ted (from its namesake, Ted Turner)
- University Arena (New Mexico) - The Pit
- US Airways Center (formerly known as America West Arena) - AWA, The Purple Palace
- U.S. Cellular Field - The Cell
- Veterans Stadium - The Vet
- Wachovia Center - (when known as the First Union Center) F.U. Center
- Wrigley Field - The Friendly Confines
- Xcel Energy Center - The X
- Yankee Stadium - The House that Ruth Built